by The Knight's Post Staff
Edited by Brenner Cobb
The issue at hand is whether or not the population at large should be bilingual. As countries, schools, and businesses diversify further, it could be advantageous to become bilingual. Supporters of bilingualism point to benefits such as the increased ability to communicate and relate with those of different backgrounds, while others believe bilingualism should not be mandated by schools and other institutions.
If a higher percentage of the population and workforce is bilingual, communication between professionals in different geographic locations would be easier, workplaces would likely become more diverse, and inclusion would be promoted. Some point to America’s longstanding history as a melting pot, bringing national ideals to the conversation, and the fact that not all Americans speak English as their primary language. Many individuals are not opposed to bilingualism but believe that students, in particular, should be able to choose whether or not they work towards learning a second language. Proponents of this idea believe that individual choice of which language to learn should also be prioritized.
Greenfield students should care about the issue of bilingualism because learning another language increases their openness towards embracing cultures other than their own and enables them to better welcome foreign exchange students to the school community. Learning a second language also boosts their job prospects and will help them in their college and career experiences. This issue is relevant to Greenfield students because they are required to take classes in Spanish, and some hope that students will be able to choose to learn other languages, including ones that they feel will be more helpful for them individually, in the future.
Over the course of a week, The Knight’s Post staff writers studied one (or two) languages on Duolingo to learn more about what becoming bilingual would take, as well as the challenges and triumphs that come with learning a new language. Some students chose Russian, citing its widespread use, presence in popular movies, and relevance to the Russo-Ukrainian crisis that continues to unfold. They found learning the language to be challenging and the Cyrillic alphabet it is based upon intriguing. Another staff writer chose to learn Chinese for a week, citing their desire to be able to better understand the culture and language of a Chinese exchange student they hosted during their freshman year. Similarly, another student studied German after hearing our recent exchange student, Yanik, speak it while calling his friends, and became interested in the language. One student studied French, noting some of the similarities the language has with English, and one studied Irish Gaelic, after hearing Mr. Benoit speak some words in class. Another chose to study Esperanto, an international auxiliary language that combines elements of several others, as they believed it was the most interesting option available.
After studying their respective languages for a week, members of The Knight’s Post staff say that they have developed a newfound respect for those who are working to learn a second language, and especially for those who are already bilingual.
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