I have asked myself many times why I find studying another language amusing. What are the reasons and rewards for studying a foreign language? I'm sure that there are academic researches and articles about this, but to keep a certain level of freshness and spontaneity in this article, I will just mention things as they come to my mind.
The Reasons
Passion
Some study a language as a passion. As some may have a seemingly natural liking for sports, arts or science, others have a natural liking for language. To go back to the question on why I study Japanese, on the external I could say that my motivation was to study a language which is completely foreign to me, but internally, for me it carried a certain significance; it was to study a 'first love' of some sort, that is, the first to ever enkindle my interest for languages.
Necessity
Of course we have to list necessity as one of the main reasons for studying a language. One may be working or studying in another country and so he needs to learn the language in that country. One's profession may also require it. For instance, a Filipino historian should study Spanish since many early documents in Philippine History are in Spanish.
Tourism
One can take advantage of a visit to another country to study a new language. With the visit comes additional motivations- to be able to go around the new country, to have basic conversations with the nationals, etc. When I went to Rome, I studied a bit of Italian. When I went to Spain, I listened to a lot of Spanish podcasts.
Complementarity
I like mathematics and analysis. Some people claim that people who are into mathematics have a natural propensity for learning learning languages. I think this has a basis. Sentence structures can actually be broken into parts (e.g. subject, object, verb, articles, etc.) and be defined by mathematical/logical constructs. Analyzing this analogically, in computer science, each programming language has its own grammar which defines how the tokens (equivalent to words in real languages) in a program are to be arranged and interpreted.
The Rewards
Acquire a New World View
Learning a new language gives you a new vision of the world. This is because the culture of peoples is imprinted in their language. When one studies Japanese, for example, one can easily see how the idea of 'respect' permeates the entire language. This is because respect is an essential feature in the Japanese society.
Receive Intellectual Gratification
I feel a certain satisfaction when I begin to understand a new language - read, heard or spoken. I attribute this to the additional intellectual effort that doing such activities in another language would entail. Perhaps its the same thrill that people get from solving a puzzle or an analytical problem. Of course, this satisfaction does not come in an instant- many times it takes a long time of effort (and confusion). For this reason, one has to find a good reason for studying a language.
Defeat Boredom
Learning a new language can help prevent boredom and doing things mechanically. Reading, hearing or speaking in one's native language is always easier. But just as in many things, a certain boredom could come from doing things so easily- especially if these are things you do often. For example, when I would do some readings in the afternoon, I notice that I can easily fall asleep. But if I read the same material in Spanish, I can keep myself more awake since my mind has to remain active in translating from the text I read.
Sharpen the Mind
I started studying Japanese a few months ago. Then when I had to study something related to my own field, I felt that my level for abstraction of ideas increased. Perhaps it was just my perception, but the reality is that I was able to grasp concepts that up till then I found difficult.
Acquire Affinity to a Wider Range of People
To be able to engage with a wider range of people and have a bit more affinity to them. Currently, I live in Cebu and am learning Cebuano/Bisaya. Learning Bisaya gives me a bit more affinity to several million other countrymen who speaks this language.
Encode Messages
Learning a new language character set (like Japanese, Thai or Elven) can help you encode or encrypt messages. For example, one can write in Japanese katakana or hiragana personal notes that he wants to be constantly reminded of, but which he doesn't want the others to know about or understand.
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