Patrick Lee
Mr. Ritchie
G12 English
June 6th
What Can Multilingualism Effect to Humans Cognitively?
What Can Multilingualism Effect to Humans Cognitively? The definition of being multilingual, also known as multilingualism, is that one can use and understand multiple languages, but usually not have to be equally well. A multilingual speaker could be able to speak two or more languages fluently, excluding the mother tongue. Usually, there is more multilingual speakers than monolingual speakers in the world, and those who can speak several languages are called polyglots. The idea of multilingualism is spread by globalization and the use of the internet, as in many countries the population of multilingual speakers is skyrocketing since in many multicultural areas people speak different languages in different fields, such as an official language for business and school, a local lingua franca, and a mother tongue they speak grow up with. Because of this fact, people can be easily exposed in a multilingual environment, and that is becoming a global phenomenon nowadays. The population of multilingual speakers are increasing each year, as we know being multilingual is good and beneficial to individuals in the work field and is easy and convenient to access variety of knowledge and different perspectives from multiple cultures. However, is it really purely beneficial to us or is there any drawbacks of multilingualism? In the following paragraphs the pros and cons of multilingualism
It offers a different job in various areas such as teaching, lawyer, hospital and transport…. Etc. Moreover, learning a second language improve to find a job with salary increases and ability to work across cultures. It provides opportunities to how know two languages than one language. Bilingual person let to communicate with other people’s and understand everything of another culture such as explore different hobbies, traditional and costumes. This means some people have to make friends. For example, some Iraqi immigrants are able to work in an elementary school as an interpreter between the teachers and parents. Those people who know two languages will have more opportunities and to find a job and friend than people who only know one
By expanding ourselves past the comfort of the native tongue, we are able to create connections with other people. When learning another language, we may start to understand not only the language itself, but also comprehend new cultures, ways of thinking, and other people. From the very beginning of deciding to become a teacher, I knew I wanted to expand my ways of thinking so I positively benefit students of all cultures and language. I believe language learning allows people to view the world in different ways by becoming positively influenced by other cultures, people, and different ways of thinking. However, after deciding to become an ESL teacher, I truly believe that bilingual education is needed to help students develop and maintain high levels of proficiency and literacy in both their L1 and L2, while learning in the content areas. This is why I personally believe it is better for children to be raised bilingual instead of learning a second language later in life. One reason for this is that even though I was born in America, my parents wanted me to learn their language, which was Polish. Now, I am fully appreciative of the fact that my parents taught me Polish and placed me in a Saturday school where I was being taught both English and Polish. If I was taught Polish later in life, I think I would not use it to this day because I would not have made personal connections with the languages, as I was able to by being raised bilingual. There are many benefits of being raised bilingual instead of learning a second language later in life. It is important to understand that it takes on average 4-7 years to become academically fluent in a language; by raising a child bilingually, the children are able to use both languages more efficiently earlier than those students who learn a second language later in life. Since the child has been bilingual for a longer time, there are educational benefits commonly found. Bilingual children tend to have a higher concentration and are better at working through distractions while doing their schoolwork. Bilingual children also perform higher on average on tests that involve multi-tasking, creative thinking, or problem solving (Marian & Shook, 2012).
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.
In today's world, there are translators by the dozen available in every known app store. People use them to pass foreign language classes before they even consider using their dusty, brittle textbook. It is virtually unheard of to be a monolingual English speaker in 2017. However, the question is still brought up pertaining to the advantages of being a monolinguist, are monolingual English speakers at a disadvantage? Scholars have brought up the assertion that it will help them understand the English language more adequately (Source D), even to examine if it will help you think better. Moreover, they object, being able to know and understand multiple languages may be your passion and help you entangle yourself with the world. Whereas in
“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.
Extensive research has been done on learning and speaking languages, and its known that people who speak multiple languages have better cognitive abilities than those who speak one language. Adults that speak many languages have higher intelligence, more perspective of
Being multilingual gives you a greater appreciation for other countries and their cultures, as well as making it easier to learn from others who have different experiences from living in different countries since some things get lost in translation. Some people argue that having one language will bring people however, this is not the case. Not everyone has the resources to learn English so by being able to speak multiple languages makes it is easier to connect. Additionally, studies have shown that children who grow up bilingual have improved cognitive skills. By being able to manage two languages at the same time helps improve the brains over function with paying attention, thinking at a higher level, multitasking, and motor
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
There will alway be “ untold benefit[s]” of learning a foreign language in jobs or careers: our cognitive abilities would be expanded and we would be “more comfortable in multicultural environments.” ( source D) If being able to speak more than one language gives us the ability to think more complex and creatively even with the rise of english language, it is obvious that monolinguals are at a disadvantage in their ability to comprehend the same way in those who are
Although there is no official language in the United States, the English language is the most widely spoken. Language helps to shape our identities, define and limit our expectations of the world around us and who we are. You might ask yourself, how does our language shape our identities and influence our perceptions of the world? Through language, we are able to make meaning, understand, and define ourselves. We are able to communicate what we feel, our ideas, our hopes, and our dreams with others who can respond to our feelings and thoughts. However, our choice of words cannot always capture what we are feeling to the full extent.
Because of the internationalization trend nowadays, being bilingual definitely is an advantage when it comes to jobs. Most of employers prefer to hire employees with two or more fluent languages, and are willing to pay them a higher salary; but this is not the only perk. the brain gets advantages by speaking two or more languages from improved cognitive skills, which helps it develop denser grey matter, improve decision making skills , and delay the onset of dementia. This can be considered as brain training which pushes your brain more flexible.
The social advantages of being fluent in more than one language are obvious: the more languages you speak, the more people you can communicate with. Another purported advantage of multilingualism is enhanced “executive function.” The term executive function is used to describe the advanced cognitive functions that define human mental abilities such as exercising self-control, attending to one specific stimulus, switching attention between stimuli, and planning future actions (Yong, 2016). There are numerous studies that support this cognitive benefit. One such study is “Bilingualism, Aging, and Cognitive Control: Evidence from the Simon Task” (Bialystok, Craik, Klein & Viswanathan, 2004). The researchers in this study attempt to evaluate whether
The disadvantages described by Sternberg and Sternberg (2017) are that individuals who speak more than one language have a smaller vocabulary for each language, resulting in a slower ability to identify the meaning words. In addition, if an individual never learns any language fluently, the person will have difficulty distinguishing between the languages, resulting in a degradation of performance in school and the job
counterparts. Each of the three papers concluded that there are cognitive advantages which are present in bilinguals. The next section of this segment focuses on the mental health of bilinguals.
With the powerful influence of globalization transforming every aspect of our world humans must adapt to the new cultural environment being created. One major change is that of language evolution. English is the third most spoken language worldwide after Chinese and Spanish, but it is the most popular second language overall (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, & McBride, 2014). The English language is taking over, so what, you may ask, is the point of putting in the energy to learn a second language? Why should you enrol your child in a language immersion school program? Well, as an English Canadian, learning a second language through an immersion program comes with a collection of cognitive benefits that can influence a variety of things, including mental health, academic performance, and employability, not to mentions that it plays a vital part in preserving the many cultures in our country, all while promoting acceptance diversity.