&gt; better knowledge of a language should expand the amount of people I can communicate to, not decrease<p>I actually think the opposite: the more knowledgeable you are in any area, the higher your standards and your interest in details, things that people with lower level of knowledge are not appreciative of and hence not interested in.<p>As for case of language, I wasn&#x27;t referring to everyday casual chit chat at lunch or at a party but half serious discussion with people about a mutual area of interest.