Benefits of Bilingualism - Essay Example

Bilingualism Bilingualism is the ability of an individual to speak in two different languages. It is a fact that throughout the world there are a number of bilinguals who have learned languages on their own. At times, the different cultural manifestations have asked the bilinguals to adopt a language as a part of their speech. However what is most important within this discussion is that bilingualism has gained quite a lot of attention due to the fact that bilingual or multilingual (who can speak well in two or more languages) easily outnumber the monolingual (in only one language) ones (Kohl 2002). Therefore it would be proper to state that bilingualism has developed as a phenomenon worldwide and has achieved global recognition due to the adaptability this concept has on different cultures, the value hierarchical systems and so on. Bilingualism becomes an active tangent when the speaker speaks or writes the language, while he is passively involved when he is going through the process of listening, reading or perceiving the new language. There is a mother tongue for every individual which he learns since childhood (Hanson 1997). The other language that he learns either from this age onwards or at a later stage in life, by choice or force, is bilingualism. He is in essence becoming a part of a wholly new concept and indeed a language which is not his own but he has made the choice to adopt it for meeting his needs to converse easily with people from the same language/country (Takakuwa 2000). There could be some other reason as to why this individual has chosen a new language that will become a part of the bilingualism concept under which he has involved himself. What is important is how the individual looks after his bilingual needs and how steady is his progress towards learning the new language, which is going to be an essential part of his life in the coming times (West 2000). It must be understood that bilingualism will continue to have significance in the lives of the people as it is an interesting phenomenon. The interesting element relates itself with the propagation of information which is important in understanding different words, sentences, statements, grammar tangents and so on. There could be different meanings for the same words that are being learned by the individual and thus he would feel at times that he does not quite understand what is going on with him (Homel 1987). There is an element of confusion at times which makes the whole exercise of bilingualism an interesting one. Another thing that receives much interest here is that one language might have one meaning for a word while another language could have a totally opposite meaning, which makes look things difficult for the individual who is actually getting his hands on acquiring the new language. There is a need to properly balance the strengths and weaknesses of one language over the other and a person must make sure he is following the basics to avoid any mistakes that might arise within the acquiring of the second language, which could yet be a difficult and painstaking exercise as a matter of fact (Paulston 1988). I am of the view that bilingualism is interesting because it gives the speakers an option to change their speaking style into a whole new language. In essence, bilingualism brings to point the advantages that could be had by people hailing from different cultures and thus could be used as a benefiting factor over one another. It is significant to comprehend that bilingualism for me brings a new notion altogether, a notion that specifically outlines the need for being one step ahead of the people who are less affluent with the art of bilingualism. Thus for me, bilingualism is a savior in its own righteous way as it helps me communicate with people in different ways, which indeed is an exciting factor at the end of the day. Fluency is the flow that an individual has of a language. It refers to the manner in which his speech assists him in delivering the words of this new or acquired language. Usually a person would be termed as a fluent speaker in his mother tongue but would have little difficulty in delivering the speech for the new language. This is a very natural phenomenon and it takes place with a number of different people all over the world. Learning a new language is always a difficult and time consuming process (Blanc 2000). However at the end of the day, the individual becomes fluent with interest and hard work, which are needed to ensure that he receives recognition by the cultural representations and the people essentially who speak the second language which he has learned. The fluency features of speech are his correct deliverance of words with emphasis paid on grammar usage and sentence structure (Wei 2000). He must make an effort to remain fluent in terms of his words that the other person or a number of listeners actually understand. Otherwise it will become a difficult exercise to understand what this individual is actually saying (Lucido 2000). The non-fluency features of speech include his expressions that he gives or the gestures that he makes whilst delivering the language in a fluent form. However these non-fluency features could be worked upon with the passage of time to have a sense of realism in what the speaker is actually saying so that people could listen to him with conviction and belief. The fluency features are deemed as proper and receive recognition by different cross-sections of the society, which make use of the language in the first place. The fluency features bank a great deal on the way a word or a sentence for that matter is uttered or delivered within the reigns of the society. This is very essential as it outlines the basis of the dictum that is followed in the society that one is talking about here. Similarly, for non-fluency features related with speech, it is of paramount significance to comprehend the fact that gestures mean a lot within the different cultures of the world. A particular expression or gesture delivered with a word or a sentence in the native language can have severely contrasting meanings and implications. This would mean that the non-fluency features could have serious ramifications on the people who are being made to understand the meaning which is hidden behind the word or sentence delivered by the person. The non-fluency features of speech are very much dependent on the receiver since he is the one who will decide as to how he would react in accordance with the understanding thus reached upon in entirety. Bilingualism and social identity of an individual are very much related with one another. This is because a person’s social identity is represented by the things that he normally does in his day to day activities. It would also comprise of his cultural values and beliefs which he has adopted with the passage of time (Housen 2002). Therefore it would be proper to suggest that bilingualism is a very important part of the social identity which is being developed within the individual. Social identity essentially comes under the heading of social values and belief systems which are deemed as important for any individual of the society. The manner in which he molds his own self with the language usage is thus very necessary as then he would be truly a part of the society that one is talking about here (Bialystok 2001). The community usage of bilingualism refers to the changes that are made within the language domains to suit the needs of the community members, which are indeed the people who make use of the language itself. These could include the natives, who have this language as their mother tongue or the ones who have actually adopted this new language in entirety (Walters 2004). All said and done, it is important that bilingualism is supported by the different communities worldwide so that there is more harmony and peace amongst people in general. This will mean brotherhood, cultural friendships and other good elements of society to be developed smoothly. Works Cited Bialystok, Ellen. Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition. Cambridge University Press, 2001 Blanc, Michel. Bilinguality and Bilingualism. Cambridge University Press, 2000 Hanson, Gayle. When Bilingualism Is a Dirty World. Insight on the News, Vol. 13, December 22, 1997 Homel, Peter. Childhood Bilingualism: Aspects of Linguistic, Cognitive, and Social Development. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1987 Housen, Alex. Opportunities and Challenges of Bilingualism. Mouton de Gruyter, 2002 Kohl, Herbert. Banishing Bilingualism. The Nation, Vol. 275, December 9, 2002 Lucido, Frank. The Influence of Bilingualism on English Reading Scores. Reading Improvement, Vol. 37, 2000 Paulston, Christina. International Handbook of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Greenwood Press, 1988 Takakuwa, Mitsunori. Whats Wrong with the Concept of Cognitive Development in Studies of Bilingualism? Bilingual Review, Vol. 25, 2000 Walters, Joel. Bilingualism: The Sociopragmatic-Psycholinguistic Interface. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004 Wei, Li. The Bilingualism Reader. Routledge, 2000 West, Woody. The End Coming for Bilingual Education. Insight on the News, Vol. 16, September 25, 2000 Word Count: 1,368 Read More