Essay About Foreign Language

The United States is a melting pot of cultures. There is not one universal language, and for this reason, in order to communicate with others, we need to learn the language of others. In other countries, such as Germany, London and India, it is required that students learn English as a second language in their schools. I believe that speaking a foreign language is an important skill to have because it can be helpful in so many different areas. Given the decreasing number of English speaking people who live in the United States, there should be a foreign language requirement for elementary through high schools in America.

The number of native English speakers in the United States is continuing to decline year after year. In a study done by the U.S. Census Bureau, it was found that, “Of 291.5 million people aged 5 and over, 60.6 million people spoke a language other than English at home” (Ryan 2). Since the country’s demographics are always changing, many researchers believe that this number has increased and will continue increasing. It is projected that in 2020, English will be very close to no longer being the most spoken language in the United States. In a study done by Jennifer Ortman, for the United States Census Bureau in 2011, the projections

Sometimes knowing a foreign language can be the deciding factor of getting into a program or getting a new job. According to an article by Foreign Language Immersion Online, some advantages of learning a foreign language include: being able to meet new people, it is great for traveling, after learning one it is easier to learn another, it boosts creativity and brain power and it builds self-confidence (Wagers 1). These reasons are all obviously beneficial, and there’s no reason not to learn a foreign language, so why not just make it a requirement in all