Cultural benefits forms another important advantage of being a bilingual. Culture and language are interrelated and therefore one cannot function without the association of the other. Cultural aspects in language are used in the process of constructing meaning and assigning meanings to codes. Hence culture and language go hand in hand. However it does not that if an individual is bilingual he has to be multicultural in his approaches. Bilinguals through their knowledge of two language s arte able to appreciate different culture and individuals from various cultural orientations.
Bilinguals are therefore exposed to different cultures as a result of their bilingual nature. As a result of cultural orientation to varied forms of culture there is a greater form of tolerance in relation to the differences in beliefs and customs of other individual’s culture. Therefore individuals within a bilingual environmental setting possess an elevated feeling in relation to the cultural diversity and uniqueness of the world (Umbel et.al. 1992). Bilinguals benefit in terms of communication.
This is due to the fact that bilinguals do not face any difficulty in terms of communication whenever they are in a foreign country. Bilinguals enjoy the process of reading and scripting in diverse types of languages. In this case bilinguals are able to easily appreciate various forms of literature in different languages. The ability to access a wide range of literature materials in different languages helps a bilingual individual to enhance their thoughts and behavior. In addition bilinguals enjoy reading novels, poetry and magazines in different language forms so as to gain pleasure and enjoyment (Schwartz et. al. 2008).
Curriculum advantages present a bilingual with better academic outcomes. Research has often indicated that bilingual individual tend to gain an elevated form of performance in tests and exams. Hence bilinguals tend to adapt easily to different languages and can communicate in more than two languages. The willingness to learn and the achievement of excellent performance in school are attributed to the bilinguals’ dominance of their home language. Bilinguals therefore have advantages in terms of academic in many ways.
The capability to read and engage in thoughts in two varied languages enhances an elevated level of abstract ideas that forms a critical component in the learning process (Cantone, 2007). A bilingual has a benefit of being presented with both social and emotional form of support. This is due to the fact that bilinguals encourage children in maintaining strong forms of relationships with their families, community and cultural aspects. The family, culture and community form important aspects that are essential for developing an individual’s identity.
Bilinguals are also able to engage in the process of generating strong relationships in the diverse form of society while making new friendships. Research has further indicated that individuals who are raised within bilingual families are in a better position of exhibiting forms of self-control that forms an important indicator in the achievement of success (Grosjean, 2010). Challenges of Being a Bilingual Despite the advantages of bilingual individuals there are also some negative aspects that bilinguals experience in their day to day lives.
Bilinguals tend to lose their identity in life. Therefore a bilingual individual may not be in a position to ascertain where they belong. This is due to the fact that bilinguals constantly engage in the process of switching from one language to the other and may be from one cultural orientation to the other. Thus bilinguals engage in changing language depending on the country that they are in. The constant changing of languages by bilingual individuals creates challenges in relation to finding a suitable vocabulary that can be engaged in description of thoughts or discussion of various issues.
These challenges frustrate the bilinguals as it creates a feeling of not belonging (Fields, 2012).
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