Comment by Brian_K_White

This is only true if your goal is only to speak some language rather than be a linguist.

The analogy is a little off because most people do not much need to be linguists.

But programmers almost always benefit from being a linguist that can pick up any language and do some job and then the next job might be any other language.

The abstract language allows you to see the difference between the universal principles and the arbitrary quirks.

You don't think it's worth the abstract stage it to know that? I do.

Even though I'm not primarily a developer. This is just as an ordinary mere user of computers. Just the plain utility of being even basically literate and functional and do a little coding or modifying in any language that the current project happens to use is extremely valuable in whatever I want to do at any given time.

Not to mention the entirely other obvious thing that you almost always learn a simple version of any new thing rather than starting immediately with the most advanced and complex version.

No, this reasoning does not hold up to scrutiny.