Which are the secondary languages worth studying today?

There are approximately 7,000 languages in the world and around 50% of
the world population speaks two languages (De Bot, 1992). It is implied, then, that
there is a great amount of people who master just one language and who may want
to learn another besides their mother tongue. This rise the question Which are the
secondary languages worth studying today? Certainly, there is a wide range of
options, approximately 7,000, actually. For this, what I will present are some
reasons to justify the teaching and learning of three specific languages.

According to the British Counsil (2017) in Languages for Future, the ten
most important languages to learn are: Spanish, Mandarin, French, Arabic, German,
Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese and Russian. Following the research’
conclusions, then, Spanish and Mandarin are the languages that are to be taught
and learnt by native English speakers. Now, this research proceeds from and
English-speaking context, therefore, the absence or English is understood.
However, the research presents several statistics about different languages and
their presence in the world. For example, English accounts for the 25% of
languages online and predominates in international education contexts. So, English
is too a prominent language in today’s society, and it should be considered as an
option for study.

The three languages which arise as the worthiest object of study, namely,
Mandarin, Spanish and English are, concordantly, the three languages that have the
greatest number of native speakers; so, learning just one of them will allow you to
communicate with quite a few people in several parts of the world. As a result of
expanding your horizons, your career opportunities will improve due to
presenting language skills and being able to work abroad. Take for example that
you learn Mandarin, your resume would look more suitable for a company that has
business relations with China or you could travel there and search for a simpler job
if you want to understand the culture.

Be that as it may, some will still argue about what is called “language
ecology”, i.e. the concern for “the cultivation and preservation of languages”
(Phillipson and Skutnabb-Kangas, 1996). What language ecologists propose is that,
if you study English, you will be promoting a diffusion and domination of that
language. This view also supposes that English learning supports and is supported
by capitalism, modernization, monolingualism and Americanization and
homogenization of world culture, among other. However, studying one of the three
dominant language does not prevent you and others from learning another
language or minority language. They are just some of the possibilities in the vast
world of languages which happen to benefit you in a global context. If your
immediate context is, for example, a country with an official language and a
minority language (like Spanish and indigenous languages in Chile), maybe
learning a global language is not necessary.

X, three languages appear to be prominent and, therefore, worth of our time

to study them in the 21st century. Spanish, English and Mandarin not only have the
most native speakers worldwide, but also present the opportunity of broadening
your knowledge of the world and its people. Even though some argue that studying
global languages creates dominance over minority languages, linguistic minorities
will not cease to exist and they will be there if and when you want to learn them.

British Counsil (2017). Languages for the Future. [online] British Counsil, pp.32-
34. Available at:
https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/languages_for_the_future_201
7.pdf [Accessed 2 Oct. 2019].
De Bot, K. (1992). A bilingual production model: Levelt’s ‘speaking’ model adapted.
Applied Linguistics, 13(1), pp. 1-24.
Phillipson, R. and Skutnabb-Kangas, T. (1996). English Only Worldwide or
Language Ecology?. TESOL Quarterly, 30(3), pp.429-452.