Linguistic Education as a Way of Personal Development

The relevance of this work is determined by the negative changes in the Russian public consciousness in relation to foreign languages and the need to study them, observed in connection with the latest foreign policy trends. The purpose of the article is to draw the public’s attention to benefits of studying foreign languages for one’s personal and social enhancement and to invite officials not to ban or limit this academic activity. The methods used in the research include reviewing literature references, a retrospective analysis of relevant problems, a semantic analysis of grammatical categories, and an open-question survey to find out the opinion of people studying foreign languages. The authors also present their own speculations and express their concern on the stated problem. It is highlighted that studying foreign languages influences positively on development of cognitive functions of the brain, person’s abilities to interact in and adapt to the society, as well as on enhancement of tolerance and better understanding of both foreign and native cultures. The results of the research prove the necessity of studying foreign languages and point out the benefits of speaking one or more foreign languages without compromising the native language and culture.