Language Acquisition

I am lucky to be living in a homestay with another International student. Kim, who is 22 years old, is from South Korea and has been in London for about three weeks. Her and I have spent a long time talking and playing card games together and she's a very nice girl. When asked to interview someone who has learned a second language I was thrilled to be able to interview Kim. Her insight into the whole idea of learning another language were very interesting.
Kim told me that knowing English is very important, especially when getting a job. She said that many employers favor applicants who can speak English, and some even require it. She also said that as time goes by the world is more united and she doesn't know what the future holds. It's best to learn English so she can excel in the world. Learning English and actually using it are very different, though. In Korea they learn reading, writing and listening in separate classes. Now that she's learning English here in London she is struggling to combine the three aspects. She said it's very hard to mix them.
Learning English has many advantages for Kim. When she returns to Korea she will have a certificate saying that she's studied English. She will be able to get a better job, and with time her English will improve. When I asked her about the disadvantages of knowing more than one language, however, she said she doesn't really think of them. There are so many advantages that she can't find the negative.
Kim told me that she thought it was fun to learn new words. In coming to London to further her language studies she had learned about a new culture, made new friends and learned about a new world. Kim also told me that language is changing. It's confusing and strange sometimes. She has a very hard time with slang, which is understandable. I though it was very interesting that she mentioned the way our language is so dynamic, since that is exactly what we've been discussing in our classes. I think that it would be a lot easier for someone who is learning our language, rather than a native speaker, so recognize these changes since everything is new to them. For someone who's been speaking English all their life it's the normal flow of language that they're used to. I think when someone else is learning another language it is important for them to know that this change is constant. That way they can be prepared for the language to morph into a different variation inexplicably. Learning another language is a good way to exercise your mind, although if you don't have the patience and perseverance it can quickly become frustrating.
On my recent trip to Greece I realized exactly how much the English language dominates the world. On one hand it's very arrogant of us to insist that the non-English speaking countries educate their citizens and adapt their street signs, menus and other print media. On the other hand it's very useful when you're the American trying not to get lost in Athens.
I would like to learn ASL, Spanish or Khmer, the language of Cambodia. ASL and Spanish would be helpful in many situations, particularly in the workforce. When I worked in retail I had many customers who were deaf and I didn't trust my extremely limited knowledge of sign language well enough to try to communicate that way. It would have made those interactions a lot smoother to know ASL. Also along the same lines, the ability to speak Spanish is becoming ever more important in our country. The amount of Spanish-speaking people I encounter every day in America is huge, and although I took 3 years of Spanish classes in middle and high school I can't hold a conversation. I encountered many Spanish-speaking people when I worked retail, including a large number of people who would yell at me in Spanish. I understood enough of what they were saying to know that I was the source of their frustration, but I couldn't respond in their native tongue. It made a huge gap in the way I dealt with those customers because we weren't communicating in the same way. Finally, since my recent mission trip to Cambodia I've decided that it would be fun, although not particularly useful, to learn Khmer. I picked up a few words while I was there, but if I ever decided to return to Cambodia for more missions work I would love to be able to speak the language.
Overall, the ability to speak more than one language is very important. It seems that English holds a prominent place in the world, and I'm lucky that I can already speak it. I appreciate and admire those who are dedicated enough to learn a second, third or fourth language. It is something I don't think my brain is suited for.