Course code: UU114

Course name: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES

Essay title:
What are the benefits and drawback of learning a second language in
Pacific societies?

Full name: Ashan Nadan Naicker

(as on Student ID card)

ID number: S11184259

Group number: 10

Tutor’s name: Miss Raveena Goundar

Date: 10 September 2020

Abstract

This essay will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of learning a second

language in the Pacific societies. Firstly, it will consider the benefits of learning a

second language in Pacific societies in terms of social benefits, financial benefits

and personal benefits. Secondly, it will discuss the drawbacks of learning a

secondary language for the Pacific people in terms of social issues, financial

stress and the importance that a second language plays in one’s life. The essay

will conclude with a thought that the Pacific societies are so focused in

introducing a new language in their lives that the importance in one’s mother

tongue is lost in the process which ones reflected identity.

Plan

Discussion essay – Block pattern

Title: What are the benefits and drawback of learning a second language in Pacific

societies?

C: learning second language

L: benefits, drawbacks, Pacific societies

D: Discuss

Introduction

Context: Communication skills

Subject: learning second language

Limited Subject: benefits, drawbacks, Pacific societies

Issue: what are the benefits and drawback of learning a second language in Pacific

societies?

Thesis statement: this essay will discuss the benefits and drawback of learning a

second language in Pacific societies.

Supports for the thesis:

Side 1: Benefits

Argument 1: global integration

i. standard language [e.g. English]

ii. better understanding of people [e.g. learn new cultures]

Argument 2: Financial benefits

i. more jobs [e.g. English needs]

ii. better working condition [e.g. Salary, position]

Argument 3: Personal benefits

i. brain health [e.g. Reduce stress level]

ii. multi-tasking skills [e.g. More working ability]

Transition paragraph:

However, there is always another side of an argument. For the above-mentioned

argument, the opposing argument is the drawbacks of learning a second language in

Pacific societies. The drawbacks are in terms of social and financial issues.

Side 2: Drawbacks
 Argument 1: Social issues

i. loss of culture [e.g. mother tongue]

ii. influence from cultures [e.g. Less interest in culture]

Argument 2: Financial issues

i. course duration [e.g. primary to tertiary level]

ii difficulty level [e.g. hard to learn all aspects]

Argument 3: Importance of second language

i. not everyone needs second language [e.g. Rural areas]

ii. more expressive with mother tongue [e.g. Confident with own language]

Conclusion:

Restatement of thesis: this essay has discussed the advantages and disadvantages of

learning a secondary language in the Pacific islands

Implication: Important to know the outcomes of learning a second language in pacific

island

Recommendation(s): learning new language should not hinder one’s identity and

cultural believes
Final thought: As years pass the importance of mother tongue dies that used to reflect

identity.
ESSAY

What are the benefits and drawback of learning a second language in

Pacific societies?

Today, the world is so fast growing in every aspect that a good communication skill

becomes a necessity to one’s life. Second language plays a vital role in this inter

connected world to exchange thoughts and feelings. The learning of second language

creates two sided impacts in the Pacific societies. This raises the issue of, what are the

benefits and drawbacks of learning a second language in Pacific societies? This essay

will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of learning a second language in Pacific

societies.

To begin with, learning a second language in Pacific societies improves the global

integration. Learning a second language provides a standard language that the whole

world could understand and interact with each other. When people speak a common

language throughout the globe, the perspective of seeing other cultures improves also.

This eventually creates a platform where anyone could freely share ideas or collab with

any part of the world to do any job together. For example, Fiji has made English a

compulsory subject in high schools to pass so that everyone could interact and learn

with each other regardless of cultural background and citizenship. According to

Chambers (2018, online), English became a norm in most conversations in Fiji after

being taken over by the British. Therefore, Pacific societies can gain international

recognition by learning a second language.

Furthermore, learning an auxiliary language provides financial benefits for the Pacific

communities. Learning an auxiliary language supports the financial state of people

through creating job opportunities. People who speak more than one language are

needed more compared to the ones that uses only one language. Also, speaking extra

languages improves the working condition. These includes the salary and the position

that one holds in the professional world. For instance, “If you like to travel, you can

boost your chance of getting selected for international travel based on your abilities to

speak a foreign language” (Doherty, 2018, online). Consequently, an auxiliary language

supports the lives of people financially in Pacific communities.

Moreover, learning an additional language could have personal benefits for the Pacific

people. Learning a new concept in an additional language assists the brain to work

better and reduces the stress level. This further improves the multi-tasking skills of an

individual in Pacific societies. To portray this, “when you get to think something over in

two different languages, you get to double check your work, in a way, helping you make

more rational decisions” (Meaghan, 2013, online). This ability is of paramount

importance when doing projects with the colleagues in professional world to understand

the objectives of each other which is possible if one can fluently switch between

languages. In this way, additional language improves self-development for Pacific

people.

However, there is always another side of an argument. For the above-mentioned

arguments, the opposing argument is the drawbacks of learning a second language in

Pacific societies. The drawbacks are in terms of social and financial issues and its

importance to one’s life

Being a bilingualist causes social issues in the island nation. Learning a secondary

language often affects one’s cultural identity in which the mother tongue is given less

importance. In the learning process of a secondary language, people tend to substitute

words with the vocabulary in their mother tongue even with the people that one used to

communicate prior to the learning of the secondary language. This also causes cultural

influences where the person’s cultural activities are given less importance and are

attracted to the other cultures. To illustrate, “The Solomon Islands’ constitution of 1978

declared that the only official language is English” (Green, 2012, p75). Henceforth,

bilingualism promotes culture loss in the island nations.

In addition, learning a new language causes financial stress in the Pacific nations.

Learning a new language always raises the need of finance due to the course duration.

To be an expert in any language, proper education is needed. English to consider, is

learnt from primary school up to tertiary level to master all the aspects of the language.

This requires to have enough cash to accommodate for the course cost. Adding to that,

learning all the aspects could be difficult that it would require more time to complete the

courses which leads to more expense. For example, English has many grammar rules

of different levels that one may not master it all. In this manner, learning a second

language could be expensive to afford for Pacific nation.

Finally, learning a second language is not needed by all individuals in Pacific societies.

The learning of new language could not be relevant to all as everyone does not get the

opportunity to travel overseas and use the second language that was learnt. As stated

by Green (2012, p73), “English is certainly found in most urban centers of the Pacific

but is far less common in rural areas”. Adding to it, people are more expressive and
confident when they use their mother tongue to communicate with other people. To

illustrate, there are chances that a person may not find correct vocabulary in the second

language to share the ideas. Hence, learning a second language is not compulsory to

all due to its importance in one’s life.

To conclude, this essay has effectively discussed the advantages and disadvantages of

learning a second language in Pacific communities. The importance of this discussion is

to identify the two-sided impacts of studying a second language has on the Pacific

communities. To recommend a solution, learning a new language should not hinder

one’s identity and cultural believes. Perhaps, the Pacific societies are so focused in

introducing a new language in their lives that the importance of one’s mother tongue is

lost in the process which once reflected identity.

(words: 949)
BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Chambers, C. (2018) Why It’s Right, Education Is Now Focusing On English, FIJI

Sun, 09 January, available from https://fijisun.com.fj/2018/01/09/editorial-why-its-

right-education-is-now-focusing-on-english/, accessed 10 September 2020.

2. Doherty, J. (2018) Five Reasons Why Knowing a Foreign Language Will Help

Your Career, WinterWyman, available from

https://www.winterwyman.com/blog/five-reasons-why-knowing-foreign-language-

will-help-your-career/, accessed 10 September 2020.

3. Green, B.G. (2012) PACIFIC ENGLISH: WHAT IS IT,WHY IS IT AND ITS

IMPLICATION (E-book) Fiji, The University of the South Pacific, available from

http://digilib.library.usp.ac.fj/gsdl/collect/usplibr1/index/assoc/HASHa8d5.dir/

doc.pdf, accessed 10 September 2020

4. Meagan. (2013) 5 Cognition Benefits of Bilingualism, Transparent Language,

available from https://blogs.transparent.com/language-news/2013/12/02/5-

cognitive-benefits-of-bilingualism/, accessed 10 September 2020