Esperanto is considered to be one of the languages one must learn in his or her lifetime. The language has about two million fluent speakers and the number is growing due to the language’s increasing popularity in several circles.

Esperanto is the most broadly spoken constructed international auxiliary language in the world. In Esperanto, the word Esperanto is defined as “one who hopes”. The constructed language was first introduced by Dr. L.L. Zamenhof in 1887 with the goal to create a flexible and easy language that would serve as a universal second language to uphold international understanding and peace. Zamenhof developed Esperanto for many years and he proposed Esperanto as a second language that would allow different people to speak various native tongues to communicate, as well as preserve their own cultural identities and languages.

Over the course of time, Esperanto has had continuous usage by a community estimated between a hundred thousand to two million speakers. The language is known to have a thousand native speakers. There is no country in the world yet that has officially embraced the Esperanto language as an official language however, Esperanto is widely used in world travel, correspondence, conventions, language instructions, cultural exchange, television, and other fields.

The number of people who speak Esperanto in a specific area may not be as much yet there are speakers that can be found in different parts of the world. The people who have learned to speak the Esperanto language are usually found to be concerned about peace and social justice, internationally-minded, and are doing actions that help preserve linguistic diversity in the world.

Some important information about the Esperanto language includes the following:

• Esperanto is a politically unbiased language and it aims to help preserve minority cultures and languages;

• Esperanto does not aim to replace anyone’s native language but aspires to serve as a universal second language for everyone;

• Esperanto provides an opportunity to meet new friends and travel in different parts of the world;

• Esperanto is a language that is fun to learn and to speak;

• Esperanto can be learned in lesser time compared to any other language!

So why should you study Esperanto? Esperanto is a constructed language and it can be used in very important situations where knowledge of the language is required. It is easy to learn and it also promotes peace and unity across cultures and languages! If you want to study languages and you want to try something unusual, study Esperanto now!

There are more and more people all over the world who are studying languages for purposes that will make their lives fruitful in the future. Having the ability to speak more than one language allows more opportunities in different fields whether for educational, leisure, or career purposes. Being able to communicate with more than one language makes one a step ahead of others who can only speak one.

Everyone can study new languages yet not everyone can study particular languages in the same way. People of all ages can study languages yet various research show that studying languages while still young is more beneficial that starting at an older age. Children who are still young are more likely to learn languages naturally compared to adults and if children are exposed languages when they are younger, they will be able to optimize their learning potential and shape their brains during their most flexible stage.

Many experts say that early childhood is the best time to acquire languages since the ability to learn languages easily diminishes with age that is why it is ideal to start young. Children can acquire native-like fluency in other languages as easily as they learned to do their first motor skills compared to adults who have to work through their established first-language system in order to learn other languages. Children who still have young and flexible brains can acquire languages naturally since they can easily build language systems alongside their first language through absorption of sounds, patterns, intonations, structures and language rues as intuitively as how they learned their native tongue.

So why do we let children study languages while they are still young? Researchers have found that people lose the ability to hear and reproduce new sounds by age eight to twelve which results into a permanent foreign-sounding accent in any language. Young children can still benefit from flexible speech and ear muscles that can still hear the significant differences between the sounds of a second language as well as imitate them with native-like quality.

Different kinds of research have revealed that children who study languages while still young grow to show enhanced spatial relations and problem solving skills, have higher elementary and SAT test scores, and stronger communication skills. There are parents who are concerned that letting children study languages while they are still young may interfere with their developing first language skills but then that is not exactly the case. Children can distinguish the difference between two languages during their first weeks of life and learning another language will actually boost their overall verbal development.

Researches have also found that children gain additional cognitive benefits if they study languages while still young. Children who study languages show higher cognitive performance in overall basic skills in elementary school, have heightened creativity, exhibit better problem solving skills, and many more. Children who study languages also tend to develop flexible thinking and communication skills which can help them consider various issues from more than just a single perspective.

Studying languages while still young can help children develop a better understanding of the world and different cultures as well as bridge gaps with other people from different parts of the world. Children will have the ability to understand and appreciate other people and cultures if they can communicate in more than a single language.

If you are a parent, teacher, or guardian to young children, better take into consideration of letting them study languages while they are still young so you can help them equip themselves with essential tools for the future – languages!

A lot of us would love to study languages for many and different reasons. It is inevitable that we should have reasons when studying languages – these reasons give meaning to why we take up language learning and they help guide us in achieving our goal of learning new languages.

Each and every one of us may have varying reasons but the following are the most common reasons why people study languages:

• Culture. Studying a foreign language exposes learners to different cultures and it gives them the opportunity to learn more about those cultures and develop appreciation for them.

• Academic skills. Studying foreign languages can have a direct effect on the development of cognitive processes and language helps expand a learner’s range of thinking.

• Education. Many people study languages in order to become educated in languages. Languages can also be used to further their academic ambitions.

• Business. Studying languages is useful for business especially when trading with clients and partners from different countries. Being able to communicate in another language is a plus since it bridges gaps and allows better trading.

• Creativity. Speaking more than one language enhances a language learner’s creativity and it allows multiple language speakers to become more creative in their endeavors.

• Aesthetics. Some languages are beautiful and language learning has an artistic and aesthetic value.

• Diversity. Studying more languages allows language learners to learn more about languages and cultures and promote these to other people and help encourage diversity.

• Accessibility. People who study foreign languages have the opportunity to access various information available only in the language they are studying. It also gives them the chance to communicate with more people.

• Career. There are a lot of career opportunities for people who can communicate in more than one language. Translators and interpreters can work in local agencies or government offices or they can go abroad and work where they and their language skills are needed.

• Critical thinking. Studying foreign languages exposes language learners to different cultures thus they become more aware of other traditions and practices. It also allows them to think critically in the sense that they are open to new ideas and have developed different viewpoints.

There are more reasons to study languages and they may differ according to each language learner. If you were to study languages, what are your reasons?