Bilingualism Research Paper

What is the meaning of bilingualism? Even with a dictionary definition, can it be trusted to give an answer that everyone agrees with? The dictionary definition is controversial, which results in people discussing the actual definition that fits everyone’s perception. But of course, with discussions, comes arguments. Who discusses such topics, and what do they talk about? Two prominent figures who discuss this topic are Martín Espada and Richard Rodriguez. Both have contrasting views on bilingualism, and their views are shown in their essays, which are The New Bathroom Policy at English High School by Espada and Hunger of Memory by Rodriguez. Espada’s definition of bilingualism is the ability to learn a new language and the right to

Movements for bilingual education rose in 1974 with the Equal Education Opportunity Act and Bingual Education Act, which ordered federally funded schools to meet special educational needs for students not proficient in English. Unfortunately, dropout rates and lack of English-language proficiency alarmed the states that these bilingual programs were not efficent. Because of this, arguments between English-only advocates and supporters of bilingual educations emerged. Articles such as the New York Times have proclaimed the failures of bilingual education. One cause could be the resistance of immigrants from English language acquisition, who hold tight onto their first language and culture. Despite this, studies show that generations

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.

As the previous discussion has shown, the notions bilingualism and bilingual education are pretty complex. Summing up, bilingualism exists in different levels, which are defined as termed individual bilingualism and societal bilingualism. These forms are typical either for the whole language minorities (communities) or for an individual. This should be taken into account for bilingual education, which can be described as language possession at the individual level. From the research that has been carried out, it is possible to conclude that this issue is very complex and can be described by various dimensions, such as language ability, achievement, competences, performance, proficiency and skills, as well as the age of language acquisition, the balance of two languages, context of language usage.

Bilinguals in America experience unfair treatment and are looked at differently if English is not their native language. The subject of bilingualism is not a topic many are educated on. Uneducated English speakers use their dominance and popularity of their language to treat Spanish speakers like their language and culture does not belong in our country. Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez speak of bilingualism in their well published essays, and they write about the struggles that American citizens face when they are bilingual in Spanish and English. This essay will clearly show each writer’s definition and arguments on bilingualism and my argument on the topic.

Bilingual Education where Supporters feel that students miss a great deal by not being taught in their family’s language. That children that retain their family’s language will retain a sense of individuality. Their ethnic heritage & cultural ties. Helping Students acquire the skills of a classroom crucial for public success. Rodriguez also discusses the use of teaching and using a single language.

The deaf culture is one that I am not familiar with. No one in my immediate family or none of my close friends are deaf so I have not been exposed to it during my lifetime. I decided to take an American Sign Language course in high school to not only learn the language, but to learn about the deaf culture as well. I would like to someday be fluent in sign language so that I can cater to the deaf community while conducting business. Conducting research, I learned a lot about to deaf community. Deaf people are presumed to have a disability because they do not have the ability to use all five senses. The Deaf community is a cultural group, sharing common experience, concerns, and language

The way I would answer my research question is by finding information on bilingual people and whether or not they had any struggles knowing or speaking two languages. I can also look up articles in social justice and literacy to give me a vivid background on both topics to tie it to my topic I chose. I will also be using the two articles by Tan and Anzaldua because they were both bilingual and both having interesting experiences they shared with the readers and these articles will help answer my question. I plan on finding all my resources through the library’s catalog and also looking up online to find articles, personal stories, statistics, or any website that will provide me more information on my topic. Some fields I can use are psychology,

According to a study by the University of Phoenix Research Institute, “demand for American workers who speak foreign languages- particularly Spanish and Chinese- will rise over the next decade”(“Rising Demand for Bilingual Workers among Employers”). As the United States continues to diversify, being bilingual or multilingual is becoming a key part to be successful in life. A student’s school education, beginning at the first day of kindergarten, is supposed to build and prepare a student for the future, so why is properly learning a new language not a priority from the start? The teaching of a foreign language should begin elementary school because learning at an earlier age is optimum for an easier and effective learning process and provides significant benefits that can last a lifetime.

Simultaneous bilingualism describes a situation in which a child learns more than one language from birth, meaning they are spoken to in both languages on a regular basis. If this occurs throughout the final stages of language development, the child will be able to fluently speak and understand both languages; both languages are considered the child’s first speaking language. On the other hand, sequential bilingualism occurs when a second language is not learned as a native language but taught as a foreign language instead (Rowe, B. M., & Levine, D. P., 2006). This could occur in an immigrant family, for example, perhaps the parents do not speak the native tongue of the community, so the children

Just a little recap of what the issue we are encountering with our English speakers with bilingual SPOC’s.

On June 4, 1998 Proposition 227 was passed by California voters, denying bilingual education to the majority of Spanish-speaking children in California (Ballotpedia n.d.). On November 8, 2016 Proposition 58 was passed, repealing much of these bilingual education restrictions (Ballotpedia n.d.). Taken together, these propositions emphasized two sides of the bilingual debate—on one side, those focused on the monolingual, nationalistic tendencies of “one nation, one language;” on the other side, those focused on multilingualism as important in indexing identity. Unintended social and linguistic effects resulted from these propositions, placing the bilingual education system deeper within the political framework of California’s language

Bilingualism is similar to juggling and playing video games in which it is intense and can be sustained over a long period of time like driving taxis. However, individuals who are bilingual were forced to be bilingual because of life circumstances and not because of interest. Studies have shown that the effect of bilingual education on cognition is mainly through the executive control. Bilingual individuals have an enhanced executive control and it can be seen throughout their life. Studies on this executive control has shown that bilingual individuals outperform the monolingual individuals. Behavioral studies and imaging studies have found that bilingual individuals have both languages active at all times.

Have you ever had a family member or someone you know experience Alzheimer's Disease, but you just wish you knew how to reduce the risk before you will eventually retrieve it. Many health professionals, universities, medical labs, and scientist have studied the connections between bilingualism and the decrease in the chance of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Accordingly, there is a higher abundance of people becoming bilingual than ever. Individuals who speak more than just one primary language could reduce their chances of developing Alzheimer’s.

As François Grosjean stated, “we never fail to be amazed by children who speak a second or a third language” (2012: 163), by how they tell you something in a certain language and then switch to a different one effortlessly (ibid). Such amazement persists also in countries in which a myriad of different cultures merge, such as the United Kingdom, due to the fact that monolingualism is erroneously believed to be the norm. However, in contrast with popular beliefs, research suggests that bilingual and multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers (Tucker, 1998).