The importance of language

As Singapore and the world progresses into the fern age, more and more people have access to technology, and more and more people are learning to communicate in different languages. Websites and apps like Duolingo are widespread, allowing people all around the world to pick up a new language. This is something that needs to be encouraged—being a bilingual or multi-lingual person is not something that most adults look to as their dream. In fact, in school, I am seeing an alarmingly large majority of pupils who see Mother Tongue as a chore and not as an opportunity to learn about a culture and experience a language. As Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew rightly pointed out that everybody should learn their own Mother Tongue. And this is especially true for dying languages such as Hawaiian. More people need to take notice of the fact that languages are what make us different from animals and allow us to communicate and work together to achieve common goals, to strive towards a better future. But for that reality to happen, we all need to realise one thing—learning a language, especially your own mother tongue—will always pay off. I learnt that lesson as someone who can say I can speak in 4 languages, and write in 2. The fact that I can write in English and Chinese, and have taken the PSLE for these two languages as an Indian, is astounding to many people. And I am glad I did. For learning this language allowed me to experience a new culture, a new environment, and more importantly, new windows were opened for me to expand my potential. So, to our society and everyone in it-go learn a language today!

More people need to take notice of the fact that languages are what make us different from animals and allow us to communicate and work together to achieve common goals, to strive towards a better future.