Spanish is one of the most spoken non-English languages in the United States today. Around 37.6 million people from the ages of 5 and older speak Spanish at home. The number of Spanish speakers here in the US has grown rapidly over the last few decades and is expected to keep rising. (Gonzalez-Barrera & Lopez, 2013) A lot of children today are bilingual and there are many advantages to being bilingual and many disadvantages as well. Bilingual children are looked down upon many people because they seem to believe that they will mentally develop a lot slower than monolingual children due to the fact that they have to balance out two languages. Bilingual individuals are equally as advanced in their development as monolingual children are, if not, even more cognitively and socially advanced than people think. A bilingual person is someone who is able to speak two languages. People become bilingual by learning a second language at the same
A child cannot learn a second language just by being exposed to it; they must learn to interact with someone in that language so it is able to stick with the child. (Bialystok, Ellen, & Kenji, 1994) There are a lot of people who believe that being bilingual makes these children fall behind when they are in school, when there are actually a multitude of advantages to knowing two languages. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2015) these benefits include, being able to learn words easily, being able to breakdown words a lot easier when trying to read, good listening skills, and being a lot more open to new ideas. Sometimes a child might have a speech or language problem and it will show up in both the languages they are speaking but it is not caused from being bilingual. Centeno (2013) found 4 powerful benefits for a child to be bilingual. The first one being the emotional benefits, for example, if a child’s family’s native language is Spanish and the child knows Spanish,
It is important to maintain children’s home language as it may help them learn and understand a second language. Barratt-Pugh (2000) discusses the benefits of bilingualism and maintaining it through early childhood settings, also mentions the concerns families have for their children maintaining two languages through schooling. Research within the article states that children who speak more than one language will have a higher level of understanding literacy content, form, genre, as well as understand the differences and translating within both languages. This demonstrates a contrast of strengths and experiences with literacy (linguist...
... how to speak fluently in two languages is because they think it will confuse their child and mess them up with their first language, which is wrong. Children can benefit from being bilingual when it comes to schooling, because knowing more than one language can help that child figure things out easier and simpler than a monolingual would know how to do. Jobs also have a big effect on bilingual people, they can attract business, and many companies need people who are bilingual. Music is also factors because many people listen to it daily learn many things about themselves and who they are. People usually do not think music can be such an effect on people’s lives and their culture but it does and there is proof of it. Overall, teaching a child to be fluent in more than on language will have many positive effects on him/her and will benefit from them completely.
The debate now is whether there is sufficient studies proving the effectiveness of Bilingual education and the need to continue it in many states. In 1998 Los Angeles County passed Proposition 227 to create bilingual education programs. (LA Times October 23.1998) Because of the passing of this bill many students were left in limbo waiting for teaching plans to be made. As well as the budget to be reformed to accommodate the extra expenses of a bilingual education programs, books, and to hire the proper teachers and aids to assists in the new bilingual classes. Often there are only a few children in a classroom being taught in their native language whil...
Bilingualism creates cultural experiences as well as open-mindedness and a greater tolerance for people. The most prevalent pro of being bilingual in my opinion is that I have the chance to be a part of two different communities without feeling out of place or excluded. As opposed to monolinguals who will generally be alone during a multicultural event, for example. Not because of their lack of compassion, but because of their lack in speaking the other language. When I speak to someone in their mother language it's an enormous compliment to them since the majority of people don't really care to learn the language of their country. You can't always expect everyone you meet to speak English. The ones who do take the time to learn their dialect, however, fill the natives with
Overall, bilingual educational programs help students transition into a new environment, understand the interactions around them, and learn more. In conclusion, bilingual educational programs enhance the quality of life for those who make America their home. Works Cited Are People Who Speak More Than One Language Smarter? | Health | Learning English. " News | English | English.
A true bilingual would be someone who can, in everyday life, effectively speak two languages, an ability which not only assumes the person in question is both perfectly fluent in their two languages and lives in an environment where they would have to (Byers-Heinlein). However, monolingual children usually know more words in one language than a bilingual might in two languages, meaning a bilingual cannot effectively communicate in either of their languages as well as a monolingual would (Byers-Heinlein). Also, one language is often favored over the other by bilinguals, meaning that even if you know two languages, you’ll probably use one much more often and a large amount more capably than the other one (Meisel). Although learning English when
As I have read multiple articles about what bilingualism means, I have come to understand that it’s more complex than just speaking two or more languages. The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides three definitions of bilingualism: (1) the ability to speak two languages, (2) the frequent use (as by a community) of two languages, and (3) the political or institutional recognition of two languages. Espada’s view of bilingualism seems more in line with the third definition, and Rodriguez’s view identifies with the second one. I have developed my personal view as a mix of the second and third definitions. Although Merriam-Webster provides concrete definitions for bilingualism, people like Espada, Rodriguez, and myself have developed their own interpretation of bilingualism based on our cultural backgrounds and community environments.
Bilingual education in our schools is crucial: but still there is talk about banning the use of foreign language in the instruction of our young children. We have to work to change that kind of attitude. We have to proceed from the assumption that bilingual
Learning multiple languages opens doors for people not only in their local communities, but on a global scale. It has also been proven to advance cognition by improving conflict management, executive controls, and sound recognition. Students who are bilingual have two active languages in their minds and create flexible minds by constantly processing and translating in both languages. These mental activities are displayed to be beneficial through impressive academics. For these reasons, bilingual education in the United States is critical. Language is the single most important asset in human civilization. Prior to it, cave men communicated through grunts and images. Not only does language tie people together, but it also has an impact on one’s mentality and personal
From my experience, bilingual education was a disadvantage during my childhood. At the age of twelve, I was introduced into a bilingual classroom for the first time. The crowded classroom was a combination of seventh and eighth grade Spanish-speaking students, who ranged from the ages of twelve to fifteen. The idea of bilingual education was to help students who weren’t fluent in the English language. The main focus of bilingual education was to teach English and, at the same time, teach a very basic knowledge of the core curriculum subjects: Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. Unfortunately, bilingual education had academic, psychological, and social disadvantages for me.
Bilingual education is important to enforce in schools because it not only helps students but their parents as well. Since their first language is not English, bilingual education will really help them because it not only helps them succeed in mainstream classes that give instructions in English, but also aims to preserve the native language as on is mastering English; they cannot learn if they do not understand what the teacher or professor is saying.
BILINGUALISM have both Positive and Negative effects on the Child’s linguistic, Cognitive and Educational Development.
Language is an important part of our lives. I remember when I arrived to USA I could speak a little English. I went to school to improve my language, reading and writing skills; even now I am learning my second language, without English I cannot survive in this new environment. Now I am raising my own kids and I want them to have this important skill, this privilege of knowing a second language, language of their parents and grandparents. By looking at studies of bilingual children, research shows how important it is for a child to learn a second language. Raising a bilingual child is a benefit because it improves social skills, academic proficiency, introduces child to a different culture, and prepares for the future.
The development of the brain of a bilingual individual is better than a monolingual individual. Few years ago, researchers from the University of Washington (as cited in Klass, 2011, para 4.) found that the brains of bilingual infants (from families where two languages were spoken) are able to discriminate the different of the phonetic sound of the languages they usually heard when they grew up than monolingual infants in where their brains were adapted to only identify their mother tongue only. Dr. Patricia Kuhl, one of the members of this research team thus believe that bilingual education can shape infants’ brains and keep them ready for future challenges. Concurrently, a renowned psychologist, Dr. Ellen...
This can be seen through increased literacy and many positive benefits on the child. These benefits include long term success, increased health, and enhanced cognition. Dispite all the positive associations with bilingual education, it is still important to note that all school populations are different, and may need different models of ELL instruction to meet the needs of the children in the school. However, when possible, push for bilingual education and more funding for our nations bilingual schools to enhance the lives of our