Importance of Languages

1. Importance of Languages

2. Quick Class Survey • How many people would like a job involving a second language? • How many people think learning a language isn’t important? • Who enjoys learning different languages? (Keep a note of the class results as they will be needed later on in the week!!!)

3. Language is an extremely important way of interacting with the people around us. • We use language to let others know how we feel, what we need, and to ask questions. • We can modify our language to each situation.

4. Speaking a foreign language improves the functionality of your brain by challenging it to recognise, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different language systems. • This skill boosts your ability to negotiate meaning in other problem-solving tasks as well.

5. If your partner, in-laws, relatives or friends speak a different language, learning that language will help you to communicate with them. • It can also give you a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking.

6. Perhaps you just like the sound of a particular language when it's spoken or sung. Or you find the written form of a language attractive. • If you like singing, learning songs in other languages can be interesting, challenging and enjoyable.

7. If your C.V shows that you can speak more than one language you will be chosen over other prospective employees that speak only one language.

8. To learn a foreign language is to see the world anew. “You are as many people as the languages you speak.”

9. If you speak two languages you are as useful as two people. • If you speak three languages you are as useful as three people. • Employers see this, so should you.

10. Learning another language opens up new opportunities and gives you perspectives that you might never have encountered otherwise.

11. Occupations that involve languages • Computer programmer • Customer support adviser • Interpreter • Teacher • Language trainer • Translator • Engineering • Banking

12. Motherwell • Civil service • Travel and tourism • Secretary/PA • Marketing • Public relations • Pharmaceutical work • Journalism and media • Transport and distribution • Website localiser • … also, any job you could possibly want to do – you can do it abroad! Who wants to stay in Cumbernauld when you can move to…

13. Discussion • Discuss in your groups: • What is your opinion on learning a second language? • How would you benefit? • If it was compulsory, which language would you choose for your second one and why? • Would you consider learning a third language?

14. Can you count to 20 in Japanese??? It’s easier than you think!!! Click on the flag below for a link to a video that will teach you (3 mins)

15. Once you have watched the video, go into your groups and take this quick quiz to see how many numbers you can remember. • 1= 11= • 2= 12= • 3= 13= • 4= 14= • 5= 15= • 6= 16= • 7= 17= • 8= 18= • 9= 19= • 10= 20=

16. 1= ichi 11= jyuichi • 2= ni 12= jyuni • 3= san 13= jyu san • 4= shi/yon 14= jyu yon • 5= go 15= jyu go • 6= roku 16= jyuroku • 7= nana 17= jyu nana • 8= hachi 18= jyuhachi • 9= kyu 19= jyukyu • 10= jyu 20= nijyu

17. Some male celebrities that speak more than one language: • Johnny Depp - English and French • John Travolta - English and French • Paul McCartney - English, Spanish and German • Jonathan Ross – English and Russian

18. Some female celebrities that speak more than one language: • DavinaMcColl – English and French • JK Rowling- English, French, Spanish and Portuguese • Kylie Minogue – English and French • Gwyneth Paltrow – Spanish, English, Italian

19. Federico Fellini (Italian film director) • “A different language is a different vision of life”

20. Lucy Liu • “I’d love to do a French movie or a Spanish movie, in the language. • When you speak a different language, whether or not you’re fluent in it, you immerse yourself into a completely different person.”

21. Paula Radcliffe • “Although I’m known first and foremost as an athlete, my foreign language skills have given me another dimension to my career. • I regularly use French and German when I travel to compete in Europe.”

22. Sir TREVOR McDONALD • “Language learning at its best can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences that life can offer.”

23. Jessica Brody • New languages are not something you can pick up overnight. They take time. Patience. The willingness to change the way you think about what you already know.

24. Group Task: Which Language? • Hola • Bonjour • Guten Tag • Aloha • Ciao • Jambo • Merhaba • Ni hao • Hei • Hej

25. Answers- How many did you get right? • Spanish • French • German • Hawaiian • Italian • Swahili • Turkish • Mandarin Chinese • Finnish • Swedish

26. Don’t always rely on Google translate, it’s not always right and it can change the sentence completely. • Also it doesn’t give you an accurate translation.

27. Methods to help you learn • Revise for at least 10 minutes everyday, this way you can revise words learned the day before and a few additional words. • Listen to foreign music, you won’t understand all the words at first, but you will become more familiar with them even if you only listen to one song a day. • Use YouTube for videos and songs to get you started.

28. Put your phone into a different language, you are all probably familiar with how to work it anyway, so changing the language wont make a difference and you will be able to pick up lots of vocab easily. • Put your Facebook into a different language, (for the same reason as above)and in a few weeks you will have learned a long list of vocab. • Read books in the language. • Watch movies in another language and put English subtitles on.

29. Listen to native speakers, this will help you with your pronunciation. • When you go on holiday, talk to the locals, it may seem a bit random at first but when you get the hang of it you will be having a proper conversation in a completely different language, instead of relying on them to speak English, and they will be impressed. • Use apps on your phone and websites to play language games and test what you already know.

30. Some Useful Websites & Apps

31. European Day Of Languages • European day of languages takes place every year on the 26th of September. • Its aim is to encourage languages across Europe. • On the day a range of events are organised across Europe.

32. The general objectives of the European Day of Languages are to: • alert the public to the importance of language learning. • promote the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe. • encourage lifelong language learning in and out of school.

33. Have you changed your mind? • Take this survey again and compare the results with the ones you got at the start of the week to see if you have changed your mind. • How many people would like a job involving a second language? • How many people think learning a language isn’t important? • Who enjoys learning different languages?

34. Languages taught in this school • Spanish • French • English (obviously)

35. There are so many different languages out there, just find one that you are interested in and start to learn it.

36. LEARN A LANGUAGE !!!!!!!!!!