Downsides To learning New Languages
A polyglot’s reflection and an unrelated person’s input
Have you ever thought about whether the ability to speak foreign languages is associated with intelligence? I used to assume that you have to be intelligent for it to be somewhat easy and that learning new languages will make you smarter.
Then one day, I came across a YouTube video titled “Learning Languages Ruined My Life” where Phoenix Hou, a polyglot, ruminated on the psychological stresses and crises that come from the ability to speak foreign languages. Who knew there were downsides to being fluent in multiple languages?
Hou feels that being intelligent and knowing foreign languages is painful because of the confusion they bring, “for the bigger the circle of the known, the greater the contact with the unknown, and the more firmly your unlearnt beliefs used to stand, the more helplessly your new identity totters”. This is because learning other languages made him realise that the aspects that he once thought were unique to his culture actually have similar counterparts in other cultures. To quote an example, he realised that not all beautiful poetry is written in his mother tongue, as the Persian epics written in the Sasanian Empire are as beautiful as the poems of the Tang Dynasty.
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On the bright side, he thinks that learning languages helps those curious enough to see the world as it is and those brave enough to tear down the veils of bigotry, instead of comfortably hiding behind the linguistic barrier. Furthermore, people who are not fond of foreign languages have to be more on their guard against the bigotries, the fatuities, and the language barrier, and constantly seek more reliable sources of information.
Ultimately, language learning can help us overcome misunderstandings, bridge cultures, and civilisations, and find a world of peace and prosperity. So I guess learning new languages does make you smarter in some ways.
As someone who learned basic Korean in university, I found that it was only fun in the beginning. Learning a new language is very tough, and it goes hand in hand with learning about their culture (which is quite similar to the Chinese culture). It was a struggle to learn it for even just one semester. After learning the 24 letters of the Korean alphabet and some sentence structures, nouns, verbs, and adjectives, I was burned out. Forming a Korean sentence now is out of the question.
Anyway, I took a module in cultural intelligence (lol) so here are my takeaways.
I found that a polyglot’s intrinsic motivation to learn new languages may decrease due to the confusion it brings and possibly the reluctance to accept the similarities between cultures. Extrinsic motivation (communicating with others, overcoming misunderstandings, etc.) may not be sufficient for someone to start or continue learning languages. Furthermore, I used to associate the ability to read and write in multiple languages with intelligence, which is a form of bias.
Since learning a new language could potentially bring about psychological stress and confusion about one’s own identity, is it worth it?
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!
