Multilingualism

In America, there is a predominant growth in multiple ethnicities and cultural backgrounds; leading to the usage of multiple languages in the American culture. There is a growing need for many people to learn and utilize multiple languages within the workplace and within one 's own personal life. The importance of bilingualism and the knowledge of multiple languages is ever increasing, and therefore becoming more important for the younger generations. The push for knowing multiple languages and becoming bilingual has many potential negative and positive effects.

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

While some may think that this is not certain studies have proven otherwise. In The Power of a Bilingual Brain, Jeffery Kluger states that, “Research is increasingly showing that the brains of people who know two or more languages….. Multilingual people, studies show, are better at reasoning, at multitasking, at grasping and reconciling conflicting ideas.”(1) Clearly, a bilingual education places students a step ahead not only in their education careers but, as well as in their daily life’s outside school. Jeffery Kluger discusses how a bilingual brain is not necessarily smarter brain, but is a more flexible and practical brain. Evidently, demonstrating to us one of the many benefits of a bilingual

How does our native language affect we think about the world and our place in it? How is speaking more than one language difficult? Tom Munnecke’s purpose was talking about how learning many languages frustrated him, and how each language frustrated him. Each of these languages he saw as “shells,” and he goes on to talk about each language and its limitations and/or opportunities. The audience for Nothing is Missing are people who are interested in learning one, or more than one, different language. This article could also apply to people who are already bilingual, or already know multiple languages. Munecke would like people who are interested in learning more than one language to know how the first language we speak affects the way we

“Cognitive functions can be defined as cerebral activities that lead to knowledge, encompass reasoning, memory, attention, and language that leads directly to the attainment of information and, thus, knowledge” (What are cognitive functions). Many students at Doulos are unaware of the benefits of knowing two languages. Ironically students also don’t know that their own brain and its skills are improving because of their second language. Doulos teaches classes throughout the whole day in both English and Spanish. Students are regularly changing between languages and their brain is always active with both languages. “This constant practice strengthens the control mechanisms and changes the associated brain regions” (Marian, Viorica, and Anthony Shook). People who are bilingual are capable of switching between tasks more efficiently. “For example, when bilinguals have to switch from categorizing objects by color (red or green) to categorizing them by shape, they do so more rapidly than monolingual people, reflecting better cognitive control when changing strategies on the fly” (Marian, Viorica, and Anthony Shook). Students’ cognitive and sensory process skills are more developed due to being bilingual (Marian, Viorica, and Anthony Shook). These improvements allow students to better process and understand information in different environments, thus leading to better

There are approximately 6,500 different languages in the world, and knowing more than one may help a lot more than just communicating with others or getting a better job. Whether a person is bilingual, multilingual, or even a polyglot learning languages can have massive impacts on a person’s brain. People are always looking for ways to be smarter, have more focus, and perform better on tests. Languages might be the answer. Scientists have found that learning languages can offset Alzheimer’s and dementia, increase brain size and connectivity, and improve overall brain function.

Although I have been learning to speak Spanish for the past three years, I know little to nothing about the language, even more, the entire culture. Learning a complete language can be naturally very challenging. That is exactly what a lot of people have to go through when they come to America in seek of a better life. Many Spanish speakers are forced to speak the unofficial, language of the United States, English. What people fail to realize is that the task we are expecting to be accomplished by bilinguals is much easier said than done. Bilingualism, to me, is so much more than speaking a language, it’s understanding and being a part of an entire culture. I understand why people are so hesitant to give their language up, because

For language development, there is a popular debate on whether there is an advantage to being a bilingual individual. There is a large amount of evidence that supports both sides of the argument. In terms of bilingual advantage, various studies focus on how bilingual or multilingual individuals outperform individuals on executive control tasks that are either linguistic of non-linguistic in nature. The advantages stem from greater foundations of executive function, such as cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, in bilinguals than in non-bilinguals. Young and older bilingual individuals show a cognitive advantage because they outperform non-bilingual individuals during executive function tasks for enhanced attentional control, conflict

The United States of America (U.S.) is a nation built of immigrants. These immigrants brought many diverse languages to the U.S.. The major languages of the U.S. besides English consist of Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, French, Vietnamese, German, and Korean. Although Multilingualism or bilingualism is uncommon in the U.S., it is common in other countries. Multilingualism or bilingualism people appear to acquire knowledge faster and have superior executive functions (Diamond). This concept was discussed in class and proves that learning another language can be extremely beneficial. Spanish is a great second language to learn due to the fact that it is the nations second most used language in the U.S.. The importance of Spanish-speaking is

This investigation discusses the question of “Is the brain organized differently in bilingual individuals?”. This question was brought upon living in a bilingual community at school, with both Arabic and English speakers. This essay will demonstrate the brain imaging techniques used to differentiate the monolingual brain from a bilingual brain, research studies, and the positive and negative outcomes toward a bilingual brain. Language constructs our relationship with the world arounds us in the ways we express ourselves, therefore what does it mean to be bilingual and monolingual? Bilingualism refers to an individual’s ability to speak two or more languages fluently even if one language is learned later on in life. However, monolinguals are

Marian and Shook (2012) described how research has shown that a fluent bilingual or multilingual person has greater executive brain function. This has been shown using fMRI technology. The authors provide evidence that the increased executive function is related to the necessity of the bilingual individual to control which language the brain focuses on. The attention and inhibition areas of the brain are activated to perform this process. With greater executive function, bilinguals perform better on conflict management tasks, such as those presented in Stroop Task.

Multilingualism allows for those capable of it to understand and appreciate different cultures and life styles and encourages open-mindedness, dismisses ignorance and boosts positive social relations. The argument regarding multilingualism’s importance is rife; although there are many benefits from language skills it seems there is a lack of drive to learn another language.

Bilingualism can be defined as speaking and understanding two languages (MacLeod, Fabiano-Smith, Boegner-Pagé & Fontolliet, 2012). The main empirical finding for the effect of bilingualism on cognition is in the evidence for enhanced executive control in bilingual speakers (Bialystok, Craik, Green, & Gollan, 2009). Executive functions encompass cognitive processes involved in control and management, such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, verbal reasoning, inhibition, mental flexibility, task

The European Union comprises 28 countries and 24 official languages in the European Union making multilingualism a challenge and an asset for Europe. Since most European nations have been built on the basis of their own languages, it can be said that the European Union is solely based on its linguistic diversity. Multilingualism has been a fundamental principle of the European Community, which guarantees the equality of every language and a respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. Such respect was “translated” into action from the beginnings of the community, before being formally defined as a policy in itself: therefore, no legislation can come into force at the European level without it being produced in the 24 official languages.

In early childhood, the use of languages explodes, and children show a rapid growth of vocabulary and an increase in vocalized expressions. As children learn to speak, they often learn when engaging in monologues and pragmatics. Although learning a language is an incredibly complex task, young children have little difficulty learning two languages. Parents have an important role in guiding a young child in developing a language. Knowing a second language may be troublesome due to the vast expansion of vocabulary, using correct pronunciation, and a difference in contexts. However; through past studies bilingualism has demonstrated an advantage in children’s executive functions and emotional behavior. In addition, memory advantages have been demonstrated in adults who know more than one language. This essay will focus on diverse methods bilingual’s experience in different stages in their life, along with some