>>533925902
picking up and dropping new languages and alphabets
especially if you're on aspie like me and don't mind pronouncing things out loud and don't care if someone hears you practicing the difference between a guttural R like in german or a rolled R like in spanish

learning the meaning and origin of words really has opened up my eyes to a lot things I never would have noticed or understood, and it speeds up future learning.
Or other times I've learned about how there's no deeper meaning and a word or concept seemingly spawned out of history with no deeper connection.
uhh here's one: Oscillation, oscillate, ōscillum ...some flag or cloth that Romans used to show which way the wind was waving? or to show the correct path? I would never have been able to figure out the origins or meaning of that word without that historical context or by seeing it used in academics
Whereas other words you can deconstruct and understand with just a priori knowledge even if it's the first time encountering them
People light up when you can speak a few words of their native tongue or sometimes know obscure facts about their country of origin which most people can't locate on a map.
Being able to read many alphabets and have some basic proficiency in many languages gives me confidence when travelling alone