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Positives of bilingualism
Cognitive development of language development
Positive impacts of bilingualism
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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.
The soldiers lacked basic necessities such as clothing and food. In Document B it Dr. Albigence Waldo states, "There comes a Soldier, his bare feet are seen thro' his worn out Shoes, his legs nearly naked from the tatter'd remains of an only pair of stocks". In other words, these soldiers clothing were very worn out due to being used so often and were not provided with brand new attire. Since there were many mouths to feed, food became scarce, which left many soldiers starving. Around the camp soldiers cry
We have had to deal with, “poor food- hard lodging- cold weather- fatigue, “(Document B). In this diary by Dr Waldo, a doctor we have at camp, he has accurately described what life is like at camp. The factors that we undergo make us sick both physically and mentally, these factors make us lose all sense of empowerment to win this war that we once felt, these factors make us want to go home more than anything just to hear our mother’s voice just once more. The absence of encouragement from other colonists and countries, and how I have to go to bed with my stomach empty every single night pushes me over the edge to give up and just
Learning new languages and cultures enhance the brain, but getting rid of them erases the soul. Bilingualism is an abstracted, virtually undefined word that seems to be stirring up complex discussions amongst various people. One example of the debating participants is Martin Espada with his essay, The New Bathroom Policy at English High School. He believes that the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking societies should coexist in harmony. Another example is Richard Rodriguez with his story, Hunger of Memory. He sees Spanish and English as two divergent worlds that shouldn’t interact. I believe that people should learn multiple views on bilingualism so we, as a whole, can figure out our difference and embrace, not erase, them.
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.
Donegan, Craig. “Debate over bilingualism.” CQ Researcher. 19 January 1996. 6, 49-72. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.
In the essay “Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the Official Language” (1989) by Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, he claims that if America wants to be a truly unified country, then there English needs to be set as the official language and wants every person including immigrants to speak it on a normal base. Hayakawa supports his claim by appealing to pathos in the description of how children who are not taught English from an early age will always be behind their peers, he discusses how countries such as Belgium and India have several official languages and how it is “a chaotic mess”, and explains how bilingual programs in California do more harm than good because they start the child off in their native language and never allow them to fully
They needed healthy men, and I am somewhat healthy, so I just had to do it. I had to talk to others to see what is happening in their point of view, and I also had to see their opinion about these things. I figured that I needed to talk to a man named Dr. Waldo. Since he was a doctor, I asked him what was happening, what he saw. The look on his face was unbearable to stand, anyone who looked at him would be terrified at what he was about to say. He told me that it was a terrifying experience, and that 1,800 to 2,500 men were dying in December-June, he also said that there were many diseases such as smallpox ( when Dr. Waldo was experimenting, I was one of them to be experimented on, and now I’m immune to it), dysentery, typhoid, and pneumonia.(Busch, 147) By then, even I was shaking, I knew that it would be hard, but it was a risk that I was willing to
When visiting just about any school across America, students who attend come from all over the globe. This raises the question across America about bilingual education. This can create many challenges in and out of the classroom. The classroom should be a safe place for all students regardless of what native language they speak. In the essay Lost in translation written by Eva Hoffman, describes a foreign student who tries hard to fit in. Instead, Eva begins to feel angry, hurt and confused because people laugh at her. In Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education by Elizabeth R. Howard, Julie Sugarman, Donna Christian Center for Applied Linguistics Kathryn J. Lindholm-Leary San José State University David Rogers Dual Language Education of New Mexico. Guiding principles gives great ideas to educators to stop kids from making other students feel the way that Eva felt. After reading several articles about bilingual education, it is evident that all children in school should learn English but never lose their native language. When all the students speak one language, students will be less likely to make fun of each other. A good educator should learn enough foreign languages to aid them in effective communication in their classroom although; if an educator does not speak a foreign language, they should recruit within the classroom students to be peer mentors. However, a teacher should be willing to listen and encourage the students. Above all a good educator should be a good role model to their students by respecting their heritage and their language.
After Lenneberg's (1967) advanced analyses and interpretation of critical period in regards to first language acquisition, many researchers began to relate and study age issue in second language acquisition. In this area of study, Johnson and Newport (1989) is among the most prominent and leading studies which tries to seek evidence to test the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) in second language (L2) acquisition. This study aims to find identifying answers to the question of age-related effects on the proficiency for languages learned prior the puberty.
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.
What do we know about the effects bilingualism has on cognitive development? Our world is becoming progressively bilingual; in the US 21% of school age children between the ages of 5-17 years old can speak other than English at home and this number is expected to increase in the coming years. On top of social reasons, the positive effects to the cognitive development of the brain when introduced to a second language are of many. The age of acquisition is vital due to the plasticity of the brain, which according to the critical period hypothesis, begins to level after five years of age. In addition to plasticity, bilingual speakers are more capable of focusing their attention to solve complex problems compared to monolingual speakers. Therefore an individual will have more of a cognitive advantage if he/she is more adept in his/her languages. Bilingualism itself can be held responsible for increased levels of executive control; in order to maintain a balance between two languages the bilingual brain depends on a monitoring system of general cognitive abilities that includes attention and inhibition processes. Furthermore, studies have proven that bilingual patients suffer less from dementia and other aging diseases in the brain versus monolingual patients.
Having heard that with each language one learns, the next becomes easier, I have always through that learning languages does something incredibly beneficial for the brain. Research on the subject seems to indicate that in fact there are plenty of benefits of multilingualism spawning the phrase “the bilingual advantage.”
BILINGUALISM have both Positive and Negative effects on the Child’s linguistic, Cognitive and Educational Development.
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...
With the increasing popularity of dual immersion programs in schools and the widespread notion that language acquisition is something that needs to happen early on life, is there an ideal age to learn a second language (L2)?