Mother always said, “Sharing is caring.” The best way to care for every race, creed, and color is to share our native languages. In America, the shortage of native-born bilingual people is a concern. The goal is to target American high school students wanting to learn foreign language and immigrants from the community, who speak their native language, wanting to learn English. An advisor then pairs students and immigrants together to learn in an immersion-like atmosphere. The United Language Initiative promotes utilizing immigrants to learn multiple languages: benefiting both Americans and immigrants by increasing mental health, making us a well-rounded community, and boosting American employability. Firstly, mental health improves dramatically for bilingual people. Studies show people with knowledge of two or more languages are smarter. Students who completed at least four years of foreign language study scored more than 100 points higher on each section of the SAT than students who took a half year or less (College Board 2004). Multitasking is another mental benefit gained from knowing a second language. According to a study from Penn State, the act of fluently alternating between languages is instrumental in increased multitasking abilities (“Juggling Languages”). Many people love to
“Learning a foreign language draws your focus to the mechanics of language: grammar, conjugations, and sentence structure”(Merritt). Before I began learning Spanish, I did not even know that conjugation was a thing, but in speaking a different language, I have had the opportunity to push myself to learn about conjugation in Spanish as well as recognize it in English. “The positive effects of learning to speak a second language can train the brain to analyze and process different linguistic structures” (9 Big Advantages). In the same way a foreign language affects one’s first language, it also creates skills that are highly beneficial to those who choose to use their brains. Benefits include: improved memory, increased attention span, improved multitasking abilities, more logical and rational thought, increased awareness of surroundings, and more. “Speaking a foreign language improves the functionality of your brain by challenging it to recognise, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different language systems” (9 Big Advantages). Consequently, these cognitive benefits translate into different aspects of one’s life such as affecting their professional life.
There are about 7,000 languages in the world today. In America, there are 350 languages alone. However, only about 25% of Americans can speak a language other than english. Despite the majority of Americans being monolingual, 43% of the nation believes it is important to learn a second language. Being bilingual has many benefits for the future. Knowledge of foreign languages can expand career potentials, help improve one's native language, and can aid opportunities to travel and experience new culture. Learning a foreign language is one of the most beneficial experiences for people in the future.
Speaking a second language can prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s. Being bilingual can improve someone’s skills and brain function. It can also increase your brain size and connectivity. If someone knows more than one language it can help protect their brain against aging and it can help if a second language is learned at a young age. Learning a second language can help people in many ways but the most important thing for people to learn a language is to better their health.
Having the ability to speak more than one language influences one’ life deeply. Speaking two or more languages can affect someone from being infants to old age. Bhattacharjee continues with, “The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age (and there
Kids that learn a second language at an earlier age tend to have the ability to multitask with ease. In a video called The benefits of a bilingual brain - Mia Nacamulli, she explains how although being bilingual would not make you smarter it does keep your brain healthy and more active and
Despite the difficulties of learning in a second language, being bilingual has provided me with a unique perspective. I am able to communicate with people who have vastly different perspectives than my own. Being a part of two cultures helps me understand
English 2010 follows the 1010 course teaching students to think critically by connecting the ideas of a varied group of authors. Because of its many benefits, many students go on to take 2010 following the introductory course; it seems like the obvious next step in a student’s academic career, but, in a high school setting, it's not for everyone.
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.
Many people feel embarrassed of having in accent in their speech. Being bilingual can be hard as well because people have a hard time pronouncing words and using the proper language. The benefits of being bilingual is having the chance to get more job opportunities because you know more than one language. In fact, knowing two languages can create good friendships because you are easier to communicate with anybody. Overall, being proud of knowing two languages has so much benefits that you feel accomplished on helping others.
Another suggestion to close the achievement gap between ethnic groups is by promoting Dual-Languages and Two-Way Immersion Programs at school. The purpose of having this program is to help monolingual speakers to be bilingual and proceed with their education. This program will be open to students and parents to help them improve with their communication skills, and eventually help them close the achievement gap. Latinos would be able to move forward and continue with their education and at some point of their lives they would be able to represent student’s social capital, and network people with money. Also, Latinos will not only interact with middle-class peers, but they will demonstrate education achievement. Learning another language can
The continued growth of speakers of languages other than English is reflected in the rapidly increasing students in U.S. schools for whom English is a second language. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (2005) show that the number of school-age children who spoke a language other than English reached almost 10 million in 2004. Such a dramatic increase continually challenges educators to provide effective language programs with quality instruction for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Some educators choose to view these challenges as opportunities by offering a dual bilingual program as an educational option for meeting the needs of monolingual speakers.
Throughout the years, time has showed us that being bilingual has gain importance and is consider to be more of a necessity now. A brain that understands more than one language is more alert than one who knows just one language. Being bilingual has many benefits. A couple advantages of being bilingual would be greater job opportunities, comfortable traveling and higher test scores.
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
My first day of school felt so strange as if I was banished to Mars. Or at least to some very far away place full of strangers where nobody speaks my language. Because indeed, nobody spoke my language on my first day of school. I was 6 years old and lost among people whom I couldn’t even talk to. How could this happen? I spent all of my childhood in Hungary, but it still felt like we just moved to another country right before me starting school. Although no such thing happened, I still blame everything on my parents.
“Research is increasingly showing that the brains of people who are bilingual are different than those who are not, and those differences are for all the better.”(time) Researchers are saying that it's so much more beneficial to learn two languages rather than one. “Multilingual people, studies show, are better at grasping and reconciling conflicting ideas.”(time) They are known to work faster and use less energy in the process. In doing so they retain their senses longer are studies show that it can delay or give you more time to get dementia or Alzheimer's than the average person. With all of the positive outcomes of learning in a bilingual school, schools make it very hard and competitive to make it into the