Who's learning Spanish these days? Spanish is becoming of greater importance in Europe, where it often the foreign language of choice after English. And it's no wonder that Spanish is a popular second or third language: with some 400 million speakers, it's the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world (after English, Chinese and Hindustani), and according to some counts it has more native speakers than English does. It is an official language on four continents and is of historical importance elsewhere.' Some reasons to learn Spanish:
- Spanish is the second most spoken language in the
world; more than 350 million people speak Spanish as a mother tongue.
- The demand to speak Spanish has doubled in the
last 10 years. In 15 years there will be 500 million Spanish speakers in
the world.
- There are more than 30 million Spanish speakers
in the USA and growing.
- Every year more than 55 million tourists visit
Spain. Spain is the second most visited country in the world. The ability
to speak Spanish increases the opportunity of enjoying everything that our
country has to offer.
- Spanish is also one of the most frequent
languages used to do businesses and It is one of the most important
languages in international political meetings.
- Spanish is the official language in 21 countries
and it's an official language in the E.U, UNESCO, U.N.O, GATT, ONUDI &
U.I.T.
The numbers
alone makes Spanish a good choice for those wanting to learn another tongue.
Here are a few reasons to learn Spanish:
Cultural understanding: While most of us can't hope to learn the languages of
more than one or two cultures other than that of our own, those that we can
learn help us to learn how other people learn and think. When I read Latin
American or Spanish newspapers, for example, I often find that I gain a sense
of how other people think and feel, a way that is different than my own.
Spanish also offers a wealth of literature, both modern and traditional.
Learning other languages: If you can learn Spanish, you'll have a head
start in learning the other Latin-based languages such as French and Italian.
And it will even help you learn Russian and German, since they too have
Indo-European roots and have some characteristics (such as gender and extensive
conjugation) that are present in Spanish but not English. And I wouldn't be
surprised if learning Spanish might even help you learn Japanese or any other
non-Indo-European language, since intensive learning the structure of a
language can give you a reference point for learning others.
It's easy: Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn.
Much of its vocabulary is similar to English's, and written Spanish is almost
completely phonetic: Look at almost any Spanish word and you can tell how it is
pronounced. And while mastering the grammar of Spanish can be a challenge,
basic grammar is straightforward enough that you can have meaningful
communication after only a few lessons.
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