My absolute favorite part of the languages I learn is their cultural history. I am not necessarily sure simply knowing the history will lead to a better grasp and therefore use of the language, but I do think it can be motivating if you're into symbols, meaning, etc.
For example, Japanese kanji characters, which are simply Chinese characters, typically have stories to go along with each character. They sometimes, not always, symbolize the meaning of the actual word itself. I feel more compelled to study a language when I know there is something behind it all, and I'm not just memorizing randomly placed lines that mean one word for no real reason.
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