This article takes the standpoint everyone has to decide for himself the language that would be most useful. The author firstly points out that language can open doors to opportunities. He goes on to mention that by learning English, he was able to develop himself further in his career than when he only spoke Hokkien and Mandarin. However, the second point of the author was that his standards of the abovementioned two languages dropped when he improved on the English language. As a final point, he decided that it was better off for him to learn English than to understand his culture deeper via Hokkien and Chinese, since it brought more benefits than losses overall.
Commentary: Usefulness – that’s the reason for language
There was once a mother mouse who decided to take her children out for a walk. As they turned round the corner, they bumped into a cat. The mother looked at the cat in the face and said, “Woof! Woof!” The cat turned around and ran away. The mother turned to the children and said, “There, I told you; it pays to be bilingual.”
Indeed, for mice there probably is a need to learn the dog’s language, since it is useful in keeping them save. Similarly, we humans should choose a useful language to learn, such that it would be able to benefit us both economically and socially.
However, there are some people who prefer to choose a language based on cultural roots instead of usefulness. For example, one may decide to be proficient in the Hokkien dialect, such that one would be able to connect with grandparents, appreciate Hokkien opera and probably do business with Hokkien businessmen. By choosing to do so, undoubtedly, one would be able to understand his culture better, know the history of that language and connect better with relatives. It may also be pointed out that though one would not be able to connect with the many who do not speak that language, one would not be deprived of pleasure from delving deeper into that language of choice. As such, some people would choose to learn a language closer to heart.
On the other hand, those who choose a language based on usefulness, not liking, can connect better with society. Kevin Smith once said, “One man’s frankness is another man’s vulgarity.” Yes, by learning the language a society uses, one would be able to communicate with those in that society better, making friends and understanding each other such that fewer conflicts would arise. Should a Chinese man live in London, he would have to learn English so as to know the Englishmen better. With that, it can be seen that by learning a useful language, it can benefit us socially.
Also, by choosing a language based on usefulness, one is most likely to find a good career, benefiting oneself economically. It is important to learn a language many use, especially in one’s career, because there is always a need to communicate with the customers and colleagues. “Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery,” as said by Mark Amidon. Using the analogy above, again should the Chinese man work in a Chinese firm in London, he would also need to know Mandarin to communicate with the Chinese workers there. In addition, by learning a language that is useful for one’s career, it is easier to communicate with customers and customers would probably be more satisfied with the service provided. It may be said that theoretically, it is not necessary for one to learn the language of the customer to run a business. However, knowing the customer’s language brings the two closer, and a sense of mutual understanding can be felt. It can thus be seen how a useful language benefits oneself in the economic field.
The first point does not stand because should one learn that language close to heart, whereas everyone else is learning another language, one would not be able to connect well with the others, and in terms of the social and economic aspect, that would be as far as one can go. One’s relatives would be gone after some time, and his culture may fade from society after some time, since it is a minority. As mentioned by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, should one speak Hokkien, he would be able to reach some 60 million in Fujian and Taiwan. However, with Mandarin, it gives you access to 1.3 billion Chinese from all provinces of China. Thus, although a language is close to heart, if it is not useful, one would not be able to get a good career, and hence be crippled economically. Moreover, there would be limited access to society, potentially driving one to be conservative.
In conclusion, learning a useful language can benefit one both economically and socially, compared to learning a language well-liked by oneself which can only satisfy one’s interest. Weighing the odds, it is more beneficial to learn a language useful in society such that one can connect better with others.
My parting shot: Is not better communication the whole point of language?
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