Personal Development: flourish thanks to foreign languages

To what extent can learning a language become an asset for personal development?

 

Several studies have shown that learning a language leads to a change in personality

The first studies on the subject were conducted in the 1960s by psycholinguist Susan Ervin-Tripp. In particular, she conducted the first experimental studies with bilingual adults. She wanted to analyze the hypothesis that the content of bilingual speeches changes according to the language.

In 1968, Susan Ervin-Tripp studied Japanese women married to Americans. These women had very few opportunities to speak Japanese. The questionnaire proposed to associate a feeling with the following situation: “when my desires differ from those of my family, I feel…”. While Japanese speakers emphasized a sense of “great misfortune” in Japanese, the sentiment expressed in English was radically different since it was “the power to act as one wishes” that was then put forward.

This difference in interpretation can be found in the 1998 study conducted by researcher Michele Koven with Parisian adults who immigrated to Portugal, to whom she asked to tell some personal experiences in each of the languages (French and Portuguese). The results showed that women defended their ideas in French narratives, while they made more concessions when speaking in Portuguese.

What do these two studies tell us? To be able to express your ideas accurately in a foreign language, it is important to learn and use a precise and varied vocabulary.

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What’s in it for you? It is much easier to find a time to learn a language in your schedule when the topics of the lessons correspond to your interests and needs. This is a great way to strengthen your personal development and grow.

 

Combining personal development and learning

The context in which a language is learned is essential to understand its perception. Learning a new language on a trip, during school or for work reasons will not create the same perception of the language for the learner. For example, if language is imposed, it is most likely to be perceived negatively and create a blockage.

Journalist Robert Lane Greene revealed that bilingual people associate a foreign language with a specific context. These particular situations influence feelings.

 

The language we speak influences our world view

​The case of polyglots is particularly interesting. Numerous research shows that the latter flourish more or less according to the language used. These studies attest to the fact that the structure of a language can change and influence our way of thinking, thinking… and thus flourishing.
 

Wilhelm von Humboldt is known to have worked on an anthropological project to characterize nations. Language was then a primordial in the description of a human community. Languages offer a unique vision of the world to every human community. He believes that our vision of the world reflects our language and culture. Speaking a second language allows us to see our environment from a different angle.

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Studies on linguistic relativity conducted by two American linguists have shown a direct relationship between language and world view. Men live according to their cultures in particular universes and express it through spoken language.

 

Thriving by discovering a new version of yourself
 

These various studies show that plurilingualism and personal development are linked. There are several factors that make you feel “other” when speaking in a foreign language:

1. Difference in language proficiency: Depending on the level of language proficiency, it is possible to talk about your feelings or make ironies and jokes.

2. Cultural difference: a foreign language implies a proximity to a foreign culture. In the case of bilingual people with the same level in two or more languages, feelings different from those of the mother tongue are formed.

3. Language difference: the grammar and syntax of a language differ from one language to another, which changes the way people express themselves.

All these different factors influence our personality because they offer the possibility to think in a different language that has a unique culture. So many different ways of perceiving, interpreting and flourishing in the world.