You have boiled the argument down to one of pure economic utility. Learning a language: - still opens up parts of the world for travel or living. - can give

You have boiled the argument down to one of pure economic utility. Learning a language: - still opens up parts of the world for travel or living. - can give you a different mindset/toolset, think a functional programming language vs an OO one albeit not quite that drastic. - is good for the brain going into old age I haven't heard any intelligence arguments before, that just seems like an insecurity, and not a reason to learn/or not learn a language.