According to the estimates, bilinguals make up more than half of the global population (Grosjean, 2010). Bilingualism can be described as the ability to use two with certain degree of proficiency, whereas linguistic skills of monolinguals are restricted to just one language (for further definitions of bilingualism, see Moradi, 2014). Being bilingual means that both languages are always active to some degree, even in contexts that require just one of the languages. The ability to manage attention to two languages the entire time requires higher involvement of the non-linguistic executive control system (Abutalebi & Green, 2007; Bialystok, Craik, & Luk, 2012). Numerous behavioural studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect of bilingualism …show more content…
Neuroimaging studies have shown differences between monolinguals and bilinguals in the neural processing during executive function tasks, suggesting that bilingualism influences neural processes of executive functioning (e.g., Bialystok et al., 2005; Garbin et al., 2010; Luk, Anderson, Craik, Grady, & Bialystok, 2010; Rodríguez-Pujadas et al., …show more content…
We will select participants with similar socioeconomic background based on maternal education, since it was indicated that socioeconomic status might have an impact on the performance in the executive control tasks (Calvo & Bialystok, 2014). Prior to the study, an intelligence quotient (IQ) will be assessed, whereas only participants with an average IQ score will be further selected for the study. For all bilinguals, the age and manner of second language acquisition, as well as the frequent use of both languages and proficiency in both languages will be reported. In order to investigate the potential role of the age of the second language acquisition on the executive functioning, bilingual participants will be further subdivided into three groups: simultaneous bilinguals (B0; concurrent exposure to both languages from birth at home), early bilinguals (B3; second language acquisition at the age of 3) and late bilinguals (B8; second language acquisition at the age of 8). Dividing the bilinguals into three groups regarding the age of the second language acquisition corresponds with the developmental
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 our own interpretation
Nagy (2013) makes an attempt, through a case study and the use of previous studies, to test the theories of prominent researchers on the field such as Francois Grosjean (2011), Ellen Bilyastok (2010) and Jurgen Meisel (1994). Nagy (2013) notes in her case study that bilingual development is depending on environmental influence just as much as on the child’s individual aptitude and general intelligence.
Mental flexibility is superior in bilingual children since learning two language forces their minds to process two language systems at one time. Bilingualism promotes divergent (a divergent thinker is someone who thinks of many possible solutions to a problem) and creative thinking (Baker, 144-145). This increase of creative thinking gives a wider variety of associations (Baker, 145-146). Bilingualism is also associated with increased meta-cognitive flexibility and better performance on certain perpetual tasks, such as recognizing a perpetual object “embedded” in a visual background or classification tasks (Marian, et al.,1). Their divergent thinking helps relevant aspects of a problem may become more salient to bilingual children since their experiences with two language systems and cultures enable them to incorporate different perspectives to the solution (Bialystok, 2001 pg. 204). Bilingualism promotes divergent thinking that is caused by greater cognitive flexibility.
The brain has always had an amazing ability to adapt to its circumstances, an evolutionary edge, coupled with humanities capacity for reason and logic has made for quite a versatile organ. Researching neuroplasticity and non-synaptic plasticity can lead to a better understanding of how the brain adapts as well as how a normal brain functions. Neuroplasticity has the potential to affect brain mechanism related to emotional, motivational and cognitive processes (Crocker, Heller, Warren, O'Hare, Infantolino & Miller, 2012). Another functional and extraordinary ability of the brain is language. Language can define so much about how we think and yet after a brief window of time we find it very difficult to learn new languages. It is certainly not impossible to learn a second or third language but, it seems to be the case that plasticity occurs more with children (Giannakopoulou, Uther & Ylinen, 2013). Perhaps because plasticity can occur during developmental stages when language development is taking place or younger brains are just have more plastic potential. Understanding how plasticity and bilingualism interrelate can give us a better picture of how the brain deals with language, how this stimuli causes neuroplasticity to occur and how that plasticity can effect language functions. Does developing bilingual skills cause brain plasticity?
Bilingualism is often at the helm of immigration and multiculturalism in Canada. According to author Eve Haque, who wrote “The Bilingual Limits of Canadian Multiculturalism: The Politics of Language and Race” in Critical Inquires: A Reader in Studies of Canada, there have been bilingual constraints placed on the country’s multiculturalism policies. Haque’s piece provides an interesting perspective, which focuses on how bilingualism has negatively framed the development of multiculturalism in Canada. This paper will provide a counter to this claim, as bilingualism is encompassed within multiculturalism. It provides a base for development in a country that has become abundant in ethnic diversity and has consequently undergone policy changes to both reflect and maintain an all-encompassing society. This can be seen through the genealogy, history, and construction of the Royal Commission of Bilingualism and Biculturalism (RCBB) and its findings, which reflect a bilingual binary necessary for dynamic multicultural nation that is Canada.
This understanding stems from the understanding that many Canadians have about the idea of “two nations” in the country being of two founding peoples, the English and the French, but this sense of agreement ends here (Elliott 1). This reality has since expanded to encompass Aboriginals under this idea of nation founders, amidst an ever-expanding multicultural understanding of Canada. The historical foundations of the RCBB were sparked by a period of great change in Canada during the 1960s, especially in terms of the immigrant policies. These changes stood to both change and challenge previous immigration requirements, which were based on geographical and racial exclusion (Haque 20). With the demand for labour increasing in Canada, the immigration laws needed to be changed in order to allow for an increase in immigration once again. Though, this is not to say all dissimilarity elements of immigration were eliminated” (Haque 20). Opposition toward multiculturalism remains strong in Québec, while they participate in programs, which fund multiculturalism, their general stance often remains negative (Cardozo 170-171). This longstanding dislocation between the French and English stems back to a time where Quebec was looking for equality as the bulk of major economic institutions were oriented towards an English-speaking way of life.
This research topic concerning bilingual children’s advantages arises from the dominance of cognitive development, executive function, but mainly their attention that makes bilingualism an advantage overall. Bilingualism accompanied specifically by the role of attention works together perfectly as an enhanced benefit for those who fluently speak two languages. In order for this undiscovered gain to be established, research comparing bilinguals with monolinguals had to commence. Peal and Lambert initially stated that bilingual children would obtain lower scores on verbal measures, but surprisingly bilingual children outscored their monolingual peers on all tests! These unanticipated results brought forth the argument that bilingual children
In this online blog entry, Elizabeth Landau claims that bilingualism can be very beneficial to one’s cognitive abilities. Her first sub-claim is that bilinguals retain better cognitive function as the body grows older. The grounds for this sub-claim is a reference to Ellen Bialystok’s study on Alzheimer’s patients revealing that bilinguals were several years older than monolinguals at similar phases of neurological impairment. The findings from this study support Landau’s main claim because it shows that bilinguals’ cognitive abilities regressed at a much slower pace than those of monolinguals’. The work of Bialystok is credible since she is affiliated with York University in Toronto, Ontario, and the research that Landau refers to in this blog entry are all from presentations at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting. Landau’s second sub-claim is that bilinguals are better at multitasking. She supports this sub-claim with Judith Kroll’s research that has found bilinguals better suited to multitasking because of their heightened attention skills. This is most likely because bilinguals are perpetually inhibiting one language in favor of the other, which gives them an enhanced ability to tune out irrelevant information. Once again, these grounds are credible and scholarly because Judith Kroll is a researcher at Pennsylvania State University, and like Bialystok, Kroll presented these findings at the annual conference. More importantly, Landau uses Bialystok’s research for support because the multitasking skills found among bilinguals correlate with improved cognitive abilities. The warrant here is that mult...
Jeffery Kluger, in the article “Understanding How the Brains Speaks Two Languages,” gives details on how amazing the brain functions with language. He states the mind polyglot is a very precise thing and that scientists are now beginning to look deeply at how acquiring a second language increases learning, behavior and the actual construction of the brain itself (2/4). He states, “Humans are crude linguists from the moment of birth, and perhaps even in the womb” (1). He goes further into depth, how fear takeover the brain. For example, doubling up on a second language does take extra work, but it is work most children do not even realize what they are doing. Bilingual individuals, of all ages, keeps talking about dog-chien dilemma, coming
Understanding more than one language has positive effects on the brain’s ability to think. In comparison to multilingual individuals, monolingual English speakers are at a considerable disadvantage when it comes to learning, cultural awareness, and effectiveness in global affairs.
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...
Hypothesis: Bilingual brains are better at temporarily storing and manipulating information in working memory in their first language, but varying in the second.
There is a “CORELATION” between the effects of “BILINGUALISM AND THE COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN”.
Bilingualism is an occurrence whereby an individual has the fluency in or use of two languages. As Mackey (1962) states that a wider definition of bilingual is one who uses two or more languages to communicate. It is a product of multicultural residences as an individual learn and acquire a language other than own native language. In the Malaysia’s English as a Second Language (ESL) primary classroom context, the concept of bilingualism among the young learners is the use of two distinct languages specifically Malay and English languages in teaching. One of the solid reason to inculcate bilingualism in the Malaysia education is to instill an integration and equality among multicultural members in the community. There are few factors that could affect bilingualism among the young learners likely age, motivation, environment as well as the role of the first
As time goes by and as the global community develops, the world grows more and more international, making second or third language acquisition become necessary to the majority. With the growing importance of multiple language ability, more and more parents think of bilingual or multilingual education, which means acquisitions of two or more languages, for their kids. In fact, we do have many reasons showing why multilingual education is important and beneficial, such as aspects of interpersonal relationship, employment, brain health, and so on.