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Elizabeth Valine

Mrs. Cramer

Comp pd. 6b

5 December 2019

The Importance of a Secondary Language

Language is one of the key parts to communication. Communication is one of the most

important aspects of life. Being able to talk to someone and know what they are saying is very

important. Knowing a secondary language is just as important as the one you already know.

Secondary languages like Spanish, German, or sign language help people communicate with

others who speak that language. Also knowing a secondary language can help with businesses

making overseas business calls. Many articles and databases gave information on the need for

bilingual, educators, and ELLs.

The need for bilingual languages is very important. High school students should take at

least two years of a secondary language. The earlier a student learns the language the more they

will use it for the rest of their life. Not only does learning another language help the student

experience that languages culture but it also is a good thing for them. Most college like when the

students have another language behind them because it could help them in the future. For

instance, people need to know bilingual because if someone have a health issue and they cannot

hear they would have to rely on the other person to use sign language to communicate with them.

Sign language is more symbols and complete sentences than just one word. It helps the deaf

person understand quickly and with less effort to know what you are saying. Another important

reason for someone to know a second language would be if they are in a business and they need

to make a deal with some one that is overseas they need to know how to speak that language to
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finish the deal and it could be important for the company or store.(Zelasko) People need to know

a bilingual language because it is good for a person to know. The more you know the better for

you to understand.(Snow, Gonzalez) In today's society people watch a lot of television and there

are a lot of shows that speak another language. Instead of people putting on the subtitles people

can just sit and watch the show and understand what the actor or actress is saying.

Educators are one of the most important people of learning a bilingual language. People

learn better when they are being taught to and having a teacher teaching you how to speak the

other language helps.(Williams) Educators that teach another language should get paid much

more than normal teachers because they are teaching students a course that is not even necessary

to learn. People choose to learn these languages because they need it. I am in my fourth year of

learning Spanish at school and I continue to take it because I think that it is very important to

know another language like Spanish. In the coming years the United States will be speaking a lot

of Spanish and I want to know what someone is saying and be able to respond quickly and

correctly. I have been taught by three different educators and they have helped me so much with

knowing what I need to know. Being able to teach someone how to speak another language takes

a lot of effort and time because it does not come easily to them. If someone chooses to learn

another language, they will have to take the time to learn it. Having a teacher that knows what

they are teaching, especially when it comes to another language, is very important because you

would not want someone to teach you something as difficult as another language and they do not

know what they are teaching or talking about. If the teacher does not know then you won't know

either.

ELLs are English Language Learners. People who want to learn English are going to

have to put a lot of time into it because English is a very hard language to learn. People want to

learn English because it is a primary language and spoken the most. The English language has a
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lot of harder words to understand, read, and write. One word might sound like another and be

spelled completely different and that is very hard for a learner to understand. The best way for

someone to learn English would be if the educator was using English as their primary

language.(Czubaj) This way the learners could ask questions and the educator would know the

answer quickly. If a foreign student wanting to learn English is harder than an English student to

learn a foreign language. Foreign students are more likely to have to learn through books or the

internet because not many people want to or need to teach English.(Zhang) ELLs are not just for

foreign students. English students also use this program because some kids coming into schools

have speech problems or they cannot say letters or words correctly, so they are taught how to

speak English the right way. Most students are taught how to speak the language the right way at

an early age, so they do not continue to use the language the wrong way.

Learning another language is very hard to do. Not only do you have to use the language

you know to help you, but you also have to keep up with learning that language. It's not always

easy either. Learning another language can be very stressful with the different words and spelling

is hard and learning how to say the sentences or words is hard too. Having the right educator is

very important. You wouldn’t want someone to teach you a language when they don’t even

know the language themselves. The need for bilingual is good for students in high schools

because the sooner they learn the language the better they will be able to speak the language and

use it later in life. ELLs are a significant part of life because if a person wants to learn English,

they can have someone to help them that knows English. How to speak another language is a

skill that not everyone has and having that skill is very useful and important.
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Work Cited

Czubaj, Camilia Anne. "English as a second language - are educators doing a disservice to

students?" Education, vol. 116, no. 1, 1995, p. 109+. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A17855160/OVIC?u=pl1949&sid=OVIC&xid=205e4096.

Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

Peercy, Megan Madigan. "Do We 'Walk the Talk' in Preparing Teachers to Work With Language

Learners?" Teacher Education and Practice, vol. 28, no. 1, 2015, p. 126+. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A514657847/OVIC?u=pl1949&sid=OVIC&xid=4935a01

a. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

Snow, Catherine E., and Margaret Freedson-Gonzalez. "Bilingualism, Second Language

Learning, and English as a Second Language." Encyclopedia of Education, edited by

James W. Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2003, pp. 181-185. Gale

In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3403200072/OVIC?u=pl1949&sid=OVIC&xid=6b1d7

87e. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

Williams, Courtney. "Academic Merit." District Administration, July-Aug. 2012, p. 85. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A303073589/OVIC?u=pl1949&sid=OVIC&xid=f3e500a8

. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

Zelasko, Nancy F. "Bilingual Education." Encyclopedia of Education, edited by James W.

Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2003, pp. 175-181. Gale In Context:
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Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3403200071/OVIC?u=pl1949&sid=OVIC&xid=2af0fc

31. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019

Zhang, Shaoan, and Vernon Stephens. "Learning to Teach English-Language Learners in

Mainstreamed Secondary Classrooms." Teacher Education and Practice, vol. 26, no. 1,

2013, p. 99+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A514683062/OVIC?u=pl1949&sid=OVIC&xid=fd0d964e

. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.