What are the benefits of learning a new language?

Among the many benefits of learning a new language is preventing memory loss.

The Molendriegang — Three Windmills outside The Hague in the Netherlands. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2016.

I became interested in learning a foreign language before going to The Netherlands in 2016. Our trip was brief — five days — but still, I wanted to know some Dutch. As it turned out, I didn’t need it, as most speak people English in The Netherlands. It is their second most spoken language, according to the website, Language Knowledge.

Our high school offered German, Spanish, French, and Latin in the late 1970s. For whatever reason, I took two years of Latin. My friends were off as exchange students for weeks in Germany and France, but there’s nowhere left to visit with Latin speakers (not counting a Catholic mass). It is a dead language.

I suppose I took Latin because I liked words and found word roots interesting. It did benefit me in the long run because I went into nursing and had to learn medical jargon — a lot of which is derived from Latin roots.

Today, I am learning Italian. And although I’d like to visit Italy — it’s on my bucket list, that is not why I’m learning it. I am learning a second language for the benefits it has for memory. Learning a foreign language both preserves working memory and prevents memory loss, warding off dementia. Learning a…