Why Learn Spanish as a Second Language

No doubt about it, being able to speak another language is something which has become a necessity in our ever-shrinking world. It is no longer enough to speak only English; learning Spanish as a second language makes perfect sense. Given that there is already a large (and growing) Spanish speaking population in the US, you don’t even have to leave home in order to use this language.

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Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is the second most commonly spoken language in the United States and is in fact the second most widely spoken language in the world, being second only to Chinese. In the European Union, the continued economic prosperity of Spain has led to many learning Spanish as a second language rather than English.

It stands to reason therefore that learning Spanish as a second language is a wise choice no matter where you are in the world. Being so commonly spoken in the US, it is an excellent choice for a second language even if you never plan to travel to a Spanish speaking country. Learning Spanish as a second language can help Americans to remain active players in the world economy.

Speaking Spanish as a second language can also bridge the gap between nationalities and cultures; one of the best ways to learn about another culture is through their language (although of course Spanish is spoken in many different countries with different cultures). An increasing number of Americans are becoming bilingual and even multilingual, which means that there is a large number of US citizens who speak Spanish as a second language.

The statistics show that Americans are more interested than ever before in learning Spanish as a second language. Because of the multi-lingual, multi ethnic and multicultural nature of the American melting pot, it shouldn’t be surprising; after all, just a century ago, many American cities were largely German speaking. Being able to speak another language, particularly Spanish allows you to communicate with people in countries all over the world – in your own city in the US, in Spain, Venezuela or in Equatorial Guinea.

Learning Spanish as a second language is also a good choice since it is easy to learn compared to many other languages; with a high degree of lexical similarity between the two languages, it takes much  less time to begin speaking the language than one which is very dissimilar.