Bilingualism in the Classroom

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“It’s never too early to start.” This sentence may seem familiar, uttered by parents as they encourage their children to begin piano lessons or go to junior basketball camps. Whatever the situation, it seems as though starting to learn early affords a child some sort of advantage. It can most likely be assumed that this quasi-proverb translates to language as well: a language that is learned and used regularly from a young age is probably better ingrained into the mind of its user than one learned late and used sporadically. It has been made evident through research by Bialystok, Craik, and Luk that there are immense neurological advantages that come from bilingualism. Also, as stated by Martha Nussbaum, proficiency in more than one language offers fresh cultural perspectives, which may be important to the progress of society as a whole. Therefore, a student should begin learning a second language early in his or her education, not only for the incomparable cognitive benefits, but also for the cultural exposure and societal advantages. There are many cognitive advantages to being bilingual. Because language use is mentally taxing, bilingualism has been shown to improve executive control (Bialystok et al., 2007). Bialystok and her co-researchers continue by saying that having two lexicons “makes ordinary linguistic processing more effortful for bilinguals than monolinguals” (p. 241-2). The bilingual person must not only choose which language to use, but also repress the secondary language, not allowing it to interfere. The constant extra effort required of bilinguals, then, gives them an advantage when it comes to tasks that require the inhibition of competing stimuli, such as the Stroop test or the towers task (Giannakidou, 2013... ... middle of paper ... ...quences for mind and brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16.4: 240-250. Byram, M, and K. Risager. (1999). Language teachers, politics, and cultures. Multilingual Matters; United Kingdom. Giannakidou, A. (2013). Dimensions of bilingualism. Language and the human I. Lecture conducted at the University of Chicago; Chicago, IL. Hakuta, K., E. Bialystok, and E. Wiley. (2003). Critical evidence: A test of the critical-period hypothesis for second-language acquisition. Psychological Science, 14.1: 31-37. Keysar, B., S.L. Hayakawa, and S.G. An (2012). The foreign-language effect: Thinking in a foreign tongue reduces decision biases. Psychological Science, 23.6: 661-668. Magga, O. H. (2006). Diversity in saami terminology for reindeer and snow. Saami University College; Guovdageaidnu, Norway. Nussbaum, M. (1998). Cultivating humanity. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, MA.

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