Why Choose Spanish As Your New Foreign Language
In England, where residents traditionally haven't been eager to learn any language aside from English, more and more native English speakers are making the move to learn another language because of globalization and the increasing importance of being able to communicate with those from other countries. More often than not, the second language they are choosing to learn is Spanish.
There are many reasons they are choosing Spanish as opposed to another foreign language. Why is it important to learn Spanish? Spanish is spoken by almost 400 million people worldwide, which is reason enough to learn the language. But it's even more compelling when you realize that about half of the population in the Western Hemisphere speaks Spanish, making it the primary language for as many people as English in this region of the world. The entire continent of South America speaks primarily Spanish (aside from Brazil), as does just about all of Central America, Mexico and Latin America – over 15 countries in total. In addition, within the United States, Spanish is the second most widely spoken language after English – by a very wide margin. More and more, opportunities are increasing for those who are fluent in both Spanish and English due to the explosion in the Spanish-speaking population.
It's fairly obvious to see why. First, by learning Spanish fluently you can often understand enough Italian and French to get by in communicating with people who speak those languages.
Why it is important to learn Spanish and the facts supporting choosing Spanish.
Most people who choose to learn Spanish do so because of its popularity, especially in the Western Hemisphere and in Europe. They figure that they are learning a language that will give them practical use – both in their daily lives and in their jobs/professional lives. The facts not only support these feelings, they show by what a wide margin Spanish leads other foreign languages in usage within the Western World. They also show that the gap is widening. Following are some facts that show just how widespread the Spanish language is in the world and how projections have it continuing to grow in the near future and beyond.
The Spanish-speaking World
· As of 1999, Spanish had approximately the same number of native speakers as English (leading English slightly 332 million people to 322 million people). With population growth projections taken into effect, the lead for native speakers of Spanish is even more today, and the lead is only expected to increase further in the coming years.
· If you include the number of people who are fluent in Spanish as a second language, the total number of Spanish speakers in the world is well over 400 million people.
· The list of countries where Spanish is either the primary language or the largest secondary language covers 28 different places
· Although most of the countries outside of Spain that speak Spanish are located in the Western Hemisphere, there are some notable exceptions.
Spanish in the Media
· In the New York City area, the newscast on the Spanish-language Noticias 41 and Noticiero Univision, often have higher ratings than ‘the big three’ network news shows on CBS, NBC and ABC.
· Approximately 5.8 percent of Internet users speak Spanish, making it the 4th most common language among the Internet community, trailing only English (about 50%), Japanese (about 8%), and German (about 6%).
· A recent study of 25 metro markets in the U.S. found that Spanish-language programming was the sixth most popular format.
Spanish Education / Economic Facts
· Over the past decade, the demand for Spanish Language courses worldwide has just about doubled.
· In both the United States and Canada, Spanish is the most popular foreign language to learn. In the U.S. it is the most popular by a very wide margin.
Now you know a few of the important facts about the relevance of learning the Spanish Language. Take a step further by keeping your languages alive and choosing Spanish as one of your yr 10 options!