Learning a Second Language

Learning a second language has its benefits and rewards. Being able to say on your resume that you speak a foreign language can put you ahead of another equally qualified job candidate, for instance. Gaining the knowledge of another language is self satisfying, as when you learn other skills. And the ability to communicate with people of other cultures in their language can definitely make foreign travel more enriching and fun.

But it can be hard work and frustrating, too, if you let it be. Just don't let the sometimes snail's pace at which you advance get you down. If you relax and have fun with it, you will actually learn better and faster.

There are thousands of languages spoken around the world, so how do you choose? Well, if your job is transferring you from Maryland to Iceland, then Icelandic would be the obvious choice. If this is not the case, then unless you have a real passion for and hunger to learn Icelandic, it is far from being the most practical choice with which to spend your limited free time.

Currently, the most spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese, and as China's influence in world economics is only growing, this may be a practical choice. But unless you are planning to leave in the Far East, have business ties to China or have a driving desire to learn Chinese, you probably will want to choose a language that is far less challenging.

You may not know this but Spanish is actually the language with the second most native speakers in the world, making it a practical choice. Spanish also deserves consideration because as foreign languages go, it is one of the easiest to learn. Spanish is almost entirely phonetic; that is, the way words are written is how they are pronounced. Learn the sounds that the Spanish letters make, as well as the rules of stressing, and you will know how to say a new vocabulary word when you come across one.

This popular Romance language is widely spoken -- in Central and South America, of course, but also in Europe, Africa and Asia. In the United States, the Spanish-speaking population is the second largest in the world after Mexico, with approximately 35 million native speakers and another 15 million who learned it as a second language.

If you are a monolinguist, learning a second language as an adult likely will be more challenging than if you started your studies at a more tender age. This is another reason beginning with a simpler language such as Spanish is excellent idea. Once you gain proficiency in Spanish, learning a third language will probably come more easily, particularly if you choose another Romance language, such as Italian, French or Portuguese. (There are other Romance languages, but these are the big three. Romansch is spoken by a tiny percentage of people in Switzerland, and Romanian accounts for only 4 percent of Romance-language speakers, to name just two others.) Romance refers to the fact that these languages are descended from Latin, which was the language of ancient Rome, and not to that they are romantic, although they certainly can be! Ooh-la-la!

Your best bet for taking up Spanish or another second language would be to take a class. There is nothing like having fellow classmates to practice with (or commiserate with!) and a teacher to give feedback and guidance that you simply cannot get from a book or audio course. That being said, little things like work and family can make it difficult to fit a formal course into your schedule. In that case seek out a comprehensive, multi-media software program, preferably one with the ability to analyze your pronunciation when you speak into a microphone hooked up to your computer. Get an audio course for the car or your portable MP3 player, a good bilingual dictionary and pocket-sized flash cards for quick studying when you're waiting in line or have a few minutes of down time at your desk.

In the meantime, that day in which we honor our dads is coming up. For fun, learn how to say Happy Father's Day in Italian or how to say Happy Father's Day in Portuguese.