Quote:
Originally Posted by astra
See? It is a wonderful hobby.
However, if you have different hobbies and no wish to learn a new language, and your mother tongue is English, then why bother? There is no benefit, except perhaphs, training your memory.
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Agreed on one level Astra: most people are well off with their native tongue. I have taught English for more than a Decade in Russia, Japan and Germany. Many people do not even need English to make it through the day in most of their jobs:
However: for me Language really is Culture: And especially someone like you Astra who is lucky to have grown up with more than one language should know the benefits.
For example: I have listened to live comedy at a show in Irkutsk that was very funny and only in Russian. Plus, most of the jokes were about events happening in Russia in the year 2000.
I have been in countless occasions in several countries where knowing the language helped me to enjoy the experience a little more than being monolingual.
Maybe you are right: Learning a language does not help you learn more about the culture:
BUT for me it does. IF you really learn the language and just listen to the people on the street. You can get as much from them as many books you will read.
PS And for me the best bonus of having another language in my head: The ability to experience Novels, Poetry, Plays and Music in the original language: nothing better....