Being Bilingual In The US

First off, it’s important to understand the difference between learning and education. Learning is the ability of an individual’s brain to acquire and retain information for a lifetime, whereas education is an aide to further strengthen a student’s learning capacity with the use of resources: teachers, libraries, classroom environment, etc. All students are essentially equal when they enter the educational environment, however students who don’t speak English have an unfair disadvantage in the american educational system.

The reason as to why there are fewer children in the United States being raised bilingually than in other countries, is because certain countries have more than one language established. Certain large countries have their main language but also have languages that have become standard in their country, raising children bilingually. For example, there are many countries who have both English and their native language as the main languages of the country. We have countries like Nigeria, who’s main language is English, but have a series of other major languages like Yoruba or Igbo. Now when it comes to the United States, this trend might change because we have a growing population of multi-diverse groups. This country is becoming such a melting

​The United States is a nation filled with a multitude of different cultures which come alongside with a variety of languages. These languages are what help society to communicate with one another and to expand their horizon of thinking. As the United States progresses so does the culture. The culture of the United States is no longer what it once was. A nation of a predominately Caucasian race, who only speaks one language, is now a thing of the past. The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (English Language Learners) states that from the 1997-1998 school year to the 2008-2009 school year, the number of English Language Learners in public schools increased from 3.5 million to 5.3 million which comes to be a 51 percent increase. They also reported that the overall student population grew to a 7.2 percent increase during this time. A huge generation of a multicultural society is rapidly growing and it is our responsibility as a nation to educate this new generation to its fullest potential. We as a nation can wither choose to ignore the reality of this new generation by forcing one language on students classified as English Language Learners, or we can choose to cultivate the knowledge of language so that this new generation may prosper in more ways than one. We do not want to become a society that promotes, as R.A. Berman summarizes in his statement from his article The Real

Asylees are foreigners that have been admitted to the United States and are unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to persecution or fear of persecution. They need protection from persecution based on their race, religion, membership in a social group, political opinion, or national origin. They are capable of applying when they are in the United States or at a point of entry.

"America's strength is not our diversity; it is our ability to unite around common principles even when we come from different backgrounds, we can still unite with those bilingual people that have the same dream. The American Dream..." That is what Raj answered when I asked his opinion in regards of bilingualism and how diverse the United States is becoming. Bilingualism is the use of two alternative languages that are interchanged depending on the situation the speaker wants to convey or communicate (Myers-Scotton, C. (2006). Multiple voices: An introduction to bilingualism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.) In this Bilingual Profile I will share my interviewee's background, explain the reasons of his language of choice, and explain

    Being able to speak another language strengthens cognitive skills. When speaking one language, both of the language systems are active which forces the brain to resolve that conflict (Bhattacharjee). If students learned to speak another language it would strengthen their cognitive skills because the brain would be forced to resolve the internal conflict which, in turn, gives it a workout. Being bilingual is good for strengthening cognitive functions in the brain.

In the history of the United States, we have always embraced the remarkable mix of cultures and languages that come to us from all over the world. One area in which this remains true is education. Bilingual education finds its roots as early as the 17th century, when the first English settlement of Virginia was established, and Polish settlers arrived (Goldenberg, Wagner). “From its colonial beginnings, bilingual education in the United States has existed in one form or another to the present day, with a brief interruption during and right after World War I in the wake of virulent anti-German sentiment and a more general nativist opposition to the use of non-English languages” (Goldenberg, Wagner). The persistence of this method of learning is quite telling as to its effects; if they were not beneficial, the method would no

In the summer of 2017, a young man named Justin went to Mexico for the first time to visit family. Justin, speaking only English, struggled to communicate with those around him where the main language spoken in that country is Spanish. Here, being bilingual would sure be handy. Knowing more than one language, becomes beneficial in class, or when people are trying to communicate with each other, or possibly even to order food. Learning a second language should be mandatory for kids and also adults for the advantages they will earn, for a sense of belonging, and also to find ways of teaching others about another dialect.

Linguists may support beginning instruction in a second language in elementary school rather than high school because childhood is a critical stage for development of language, this means that is easier to learn a second language during ages three and ten because a person is developing fluency and pronunciation in any particular language. If a person is older is going to be more difficult to have a good structure of a particular language and is not anymore an important period for language acquisition, also a person maybe is not going to have the fluency and pronunciation to sound like a native language. Although it is adequate to do it in the proper stage, the benefits of being bilingual never stops and can give a variety of opportunities in

Once you learn a second language well enough, it is said that learning a third or fourth is easier (2). Two languages are better than one. Also, luckily for second language learners, two significant by-products of bilingualism are better cognitive skills and longer attention spans (4). Having those two elements would greatly help with testing, especially standardized exams. Knowing more than one language also increases your job opportunities. Employers are constantly showing interest in bilingual workers. Its beneficial because not everyone who lives in the United States speaks English. It appeals to employers because it makes you seem smarter. Also, as stated above many high schoolers don’t retain the language. Since the 1960s, studies have shown that the best time to begin the study of a foreign language is in elementary school (3). Because children at this age show a better mental flexibility, more creativity, divergent thinking skills, and improved listening and memory skills, kids are able to process language early

In conclusion, the advantages of raising children to be bilingual greatly outweigh any disadvantage it might have. Bilingual children can easily master both of the languages without any difficulties, being bilingual help raise their self-esteem and makes them secure in their identities. Also, it will open up many opportunities for them in all aspects of life. From a personal experience, I can confirm that being bilingual opens up many doors and because of my exposure to different cultures, I have developed a greater understanding of others and their

Some people ask why learn Chinese if students in China are learning English? Well that doesn't mean everyone knows English. Most adults and elders have no time to learn english. If Americans learn english there will be more job offerings. Bilingual people have a better chance at getting a job than someone who just speaks english. In addition, you can be amazing if you learn another language.

To Begin with, exposure to cultures other than those of one’s origins is often seen as beneficial because individuals get to not only see how others perceive the world in which they exist but they also get to understand that the world in which they live is culturally diverse. As such, exposure to a bilingual education can serve the purpose of building a bridge that offers a deeper level of understanding about the world as a whole. From a social standpoint, I believe this to be an extremely important attribute of bilingual education because while I think it is important to have national pride, I also believe that it is equally important to understand that our greater existence on this planet is as a global community. From the strict standpoint of education, exposure to a bilingual education can only serve to benefit learners because it offers individuals the chance to broaden their horizons and as noted by Regina Cortina ET. Al, “large-scale longitudinal studies have demonstrated measurable

It improves many skills that are important to succeed in life such as academic gains, strong social skills, stronger creativity, and success in reaching adulthood and finding a fitting career (Selling, 19). Also, right now, the United States is in the minority regarding bilingual education, so if this change does happen, this country would be more in line with other western countries. In addition, these programs would provide the children with cultural benefits, and future benefits in life in general. But, this program has to start in elementary school in order for it to be productive. Finally, bilingualism is important for the world and would produce better developed children

Being bilingual is a great goal that a person could have. Many studies suggest that bilingual children maybe have increased cognitive abilities. For example, “research shows that children who speak more than one language are multiply advantaged over their monolingual playmates – in communication, cognition and social interaction. The mental gymnastics needed to constantly manage two or more linguistic systems increases cognitive flexibility and makes learning easier, say