Don’t Let The “No Sabo” Label Deter You From Learning Spanish. Experts Explain Benefits Of Learning Spanish As An Adult
Being monolingual as an English-speaking Latino in the United States can come with some stigma within our own community.
The dreaded “no sabo kid” label has gained infamous popularity lately and is hard to shake. Maybe we don’t catch all of Bad Bunny’s lyrics or perhaps we stare blankly when we hear family members have fast conversations.
But that’s not the worst part – it’s the feeling like we’re leaving behind a core piece of our identity and heritage that allows us to connect with our Latino brothers and sisters. But many of us didn’t choose to be monolingual. For decades, Latino immigrants experienced discrimination for speaking Spanish or having an accent. It led some families to make the difficult choice of raising the next generations as monolingual English speakers for assimilation’s sake.
Now, as adults, we first-generation “no sabo” kids lack a vital skill that could connect us to our roots and our people back home. The Spanish language became a lost art for some of us.
But it’s not too late to learn. Bilingualism would be a gift not only for the heart, but also for the brain.
Research shows that learning a second language can have incredible cognitive benefits, and it’s widely researched that bilingualism or multilingualism in early childhood is a key source for these benefits.
Sarah F. Phillips, a linguistics and cognitive science researcher and professor at the University of Arizona, explains the science behind this:
“It could be the case that areas in the prefrontal cortex that are active when we need things like attention and working memory are really getting better trained, or are being recruited because bilinguals need these areas to be able to separate when they’re needing one language versus another, or maybe even just to be able to attend to different kinds of information that a monolingual doesn’t need to worry about,” says Phillips.
But as we get older, bilingualism can help us fight off cognitive decline by improving our attention span, executive control functions, and memory, according to research from Northwestern University.
A separate study from researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that “even a short period of intensive language learning can modulate attentional functions and that all age groups can benefit from this effect.”
So yes, consider picking up Spanish for your cognitive wellness, but don’t forget about the community-building benefits that come with picking up the language.
I remember landing in the Dominican Republic a year ago, nervous that my Spanish would be tested for the first time with my cousins who don’t know a lick of English and who speak like they’re running out time. I wasn’t just proud because I could hold a conversation, but because it showed me that new doors have opened up for connecting with family that were closed when I was a monolingual English-speaking child.
Multilingualism and bilingualism are known to improve intercultural interaction and empathy, as well as allowing for better opportunities for economic and professional advancement.
“Language is a social thing,” said Phillips. “We use language to be able to communicate with other people and share not only ideas, but also our cultures, our values.”
She continued, “If you learn a second language, even in later adulthood, the real advantage is just growing your social network and finding greater social support.”
