What are the benefits of knowing two languages? Many scientific studies show that growing up bilingual is great for kids’ brain development. Being bilingual may also be good for getting a job. Many businesses want to hire people who speak more than one language because they consider this skill a valuable attribute. But most Americans do not know a second language, and those who do typically do not know the second language very well. 

How did we become so monolingual? Most educated Asians, Europeans, and Africans speak several languages, often including English. In fact, 59 percent of Europeans speak two or more languages, compared to 20 percent of Americans. In Europe, students are often required to take two distinct foreign languages in school from a very early age. In the United States, language classes start later and are often optional after a couple of years. Further, many schools only offer one or two languages, which limits opportunities for students who might be interested in learning a less common language. 

Most people around the world think that knowing several languages is critical; multilinguals can participate in global political and economic activities. The U.S. government and U.S. Armed Forces look for employees who speak languages that could help facilitate U.S. economic and foreign policy. For example, they seek Arabic speakers, but very few Americans study Arabic in school or university. In fact, the U.S. Department of State pays higher salaries to speakers of less common languages such as Farsi, Pashto, and Arabic. 

But some people point out that, even though the United States is a multicultural nation, more than 90% of people in the U.S. speak English very well or better. They believe that English is a unifying language for the country and that it might be confusing if everyone were to use different languages. They may also point out that the U.S. covers a similar amount of area as all of Europe. However, Europe combines many separate countries with their own languages. It makes sense, they say, that Europeans would need to learn other languages to communicate with so many neighboring countries, while Americans might not. 

In school, students already take many classes and have a lot of subjects to cover, and some people think learning other languages is less important. They might say that schools should prioritize English literacy over teaching other languages. Or they may prefer to focus on math and science, believing that these are higher priority than a language students may never use. But knowing more than one language seems to be good for learning, employment, and maybe even national security. So, should American students all be required to learn a language in addition to English?