Living in a Country Where One Has to Speak a Foreign Language

Residing in a country whose spoken, native language is quite different from one's is usually a 'tough row to hoe', the reason being that there is a pressing need to be able to comprehend and speak such language, if not fluently, to a certain extent. The inability to understand such language may pose a social challenge and a practical problem because of a few reasons.

Firstly, language being a tool for communication, that is peculiar to a particular group of people or community, plays an important role in fostering peace and mitigating hostility amongst all across the globe. Being an immigrant in a country with a different language can affect one's relationship with the citizens of such country. This could bring about loneliness and seclusion because it makes it hard to affiliate, interact and socialise freely with them. A good example is the case of a Nigerian who travelled to France to stay with his brother. Having resided there for a few years, he recounted how it had been terrible for him, instead of being an enjoyable experience. It was observed that the reasons for this was his inability to say even a word in French at that moment in time. He narrated how it was difficult to make new friends within his first year of being there. He could neither explore places of interest in France nor enjoy the beautiful scenery of the city alone unless he was with his brother, which was usually impossible since he was the busy type. He narrated how this had detrimental effects on him because he was always lonesome and nostalgic throughout that year, though he was not the introverted type.

Secondly, undoubted is the fact that language has been used as a tool for resolving conflict amongt people across the globe over the years. Language forms the basic part of every culture. For most people, it is one of the most cherished aspect of their culture. Hence, people feel honoured when they see immigrants speak their languages. Learning how to speak the language of a country one resides breaches the disparity amongst all irrespective of the divergent cultures, norms and views. People who reside in a new country are usually considered strangers by the citizens even after living in such country for a good number of years due to their inability to break this difference. Citizens tend to be friendlier to immigrants who understand their language. Even within a heterogeneous society such as Nigeria, where there are about 250 ethnic groups and over 500 indigenous languages, citizens, most especially, the Northerners (the Hausas), show more care and hospitality towards citizens from other parts of the country who can speak their language. 

Hence, there is an ultimate need to familiarise oneself with these foreign languages in order to ensure a peaceful and corporate co - existence with the citizens, as well as to foster good interaction and affiliation with them. 

Therefore, I strongly suggest that it is vital and required of one to be familiar with a foreign language before going there to reside as this will tackle any social or practical problems that may arise during one's stay there.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Importance of Higher Education in the Society

Some people believe students in the institute of higher learning should fully fund their studies themselves due to the fact that advanced learning only benefits them, and not the society. I personally do not think this is the case, therefore , I strongly disagree to this proposition. Modules taught in the universities, I would say, are voluminuous; however,  more explanatory and comprehensive version of the secondary schools' curricula.  In Nigeria,  for instance, students are taught different laws and principles to become scholars,  physicists and scientists without having an insight into how the laws work in reality. The universities, on the contrary, provide them with a wide variety of modules, and lots of seminars, presentations and workshops that are tailored to help them gain more expertise in a specific area or field. These higher institutes of learning, without doubts, are microcosm of the larger society because they focus more on practical, rather than theo...
Read more

Health Diet and Adequate Exercise for Improving Health

In recent times, a relatively fair number of people neglect the consumption of wholesome meals and even the act of keeping themselves physically fit for some reasons, of which busy/tight schedule could be one of them. For example, in Lagos, Nigeria, a buzzing city in the Western part of the country, which is comprised of a quite large number of inhabitants, who go through struggles, hurdles and hustles each day while transporting themselves to their diverse work places, working _ class people, and even small business owners usually need to stay awake very early in the morning so as to beat the traffic snarl, and even stay out late at night, stuck in the traffic jam. In this situation, people barely have enough time for themselves on business (working) days. Therefore, they do not even have the time for exercises. The only thing they would always love to do at their leisure is 'take a nap' or 'sleep' and 'snooze'. In the same manner, they hardly have the time to ...
Read more

Why Younger Adults Do Not Communicate With The Older Ones

Nowadays, a great deal of people do not want to interact verbally with the older adults in the society the way they used to in the past. This is actually not a positive situation, therefore, the issue needs to be surmounted urgently.  In the ancient times, people _both little and young used to be enthusiastic to communicate with the elderly ones. Back in those days, , children would sit under the moonlight to listen to the elders while they spoke. Similarly, the younger adults were never tired of consulting them to seek advice on diverse issues. Taking cognizance of the importance of these generians and the need to communicate with them effectively had greatly led to comparatively great achievements in the past. Indisputable, the old are most experienced as regards the phenomenon of the universe that the young and are capable of handing situations meticulously and sagaciously. They deal with problems or challenges with prudence and wits. By comparison, despite the significant roles...
Read more