How does learning a language affect your memory?

The more languages you know, the more you’re worth, says a Latin proverb.

Do you agree?

Regardless, languages ​​are so important that they have their own day! September 26^th is the European Day of Languages.

There are many activities and ways to participate.

Another interesting competition, for example, is to find the most difficult to pronounce letter, word, or phrase.

In Slovenia the “Language Photo Orientation” competition was held in the House of the European Union. The participants got to know Ljubljana with the help of photos, challenges, and clues.

Linguistic diversity enriches us. That is why young people in European countries are encouraged to learn foreign languages ​​from an early age.

Multilingualism is even one of the fundamental principles of the European Union.

Most European languages ​​belong to three language families: Germanic, Slavic, and Romance.

In Slovenia, as many as 96 percent of adults understand or speak at least one foreign language. The most common is English, the second is Croatian, followed by German.

In fact, a quarter of Slovenians understand as many as five foreign languages.

Knowing several foreign languages ​​is not only a great opportunity to get to know new cultures, but it is also connected to a good memory!

Research shows that people who know at least one foreign language have a better episodic memory. It is a form of memory where information about events or experiences is stored.

Episodic memory is also one of the first to decline with age. Knowing several languages ​​may even slow down the aging process.

Glossary

Multilingualism is the use of more than one language.

Points to Consider

1. How many languages ​​do you know? Do you have any tips for learning them?
2. What do you think is the most difficult word in your own language for foreigners to learn?
3. What are the official languages ​​in your country?

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The original version of this article was published on 26^th September.