"Evaluating a language by its usefulness is reductive about as soul-destroying as telling a passionate mathematician that they don't need to bother learning complex theorems because a computer could do it. I did two language A-levels (German and Japanese) and went on to do a Japanese degree at university. Despite Japanese being less useful than Spanish in terms of the number of speakers, it has enriched my life in countless ways."
"The suggestion that Spanish should eclipse French in schools because it is more useful or has more native speakers reduces language education to a crude numbers game. Learning a language is not about chasing cultural trends or lifestyle optics; it is about developing cognitive flexibility, literacy, memory and cultural understanding. Pupils do not disengage because they study French rather than Spanish they disengage when expectations are low and learning feels inaccessible. Spanish absolutely deserves its growing place, but framing this as a zero-sum contest do"
Evaluating languages solely by usefulness reduces language education to a numbers game and diminishes intrinsic value. Learning any language develops cognitive flexibility, communication skills, memory, literacy, and cultural understanding. Studying minority or less widely spoken languages can enrich life and grant access to different histories, arts, and media. Early language study equips young people with transferable learning skills and can facilitate later acquisition of other languages. Disengagement arises from low expectations and inaccessible teaching, not from the specific language studied. Spanish's growing popularity is valid, but promoting one language as superior on numeric grounds undermines broader educational aims.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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