Bilingual Analysis

707 Words2 Pages

English is one of the world’s most spoken languages. It is the mother tongue of many Americans and most are fluent in the language. However, the prevalence of English does not negate the necessity of learning other languages. Monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage compared to their bilingual counterparts, for the benefits of bilingualism are abundant, in addition to that bilingualism can make communities previously inaccessible to a person who just learned a second language now accessible in regards to strengthening/preserving ties to other cultures, family members, etc. Studies have shown that bilingualism refines one’s cognitive prowess. According to Ursula Oaks in their article “Foreign-Language Learning: What the United States …show more content…

An English-speaking person with family abroad that does not speak English would have no way of communicating with their family without a translator or translating device. Learning that language not only gives the person a means of communicating with their family, but provides a gateway to the culture, ranging from film to literature to music and so on. For the United States and its citizens “making the United States a multilingual society” would make us “more effective in global affairs, more comfortable in multicultural environments… productive in daily life.” Multilingualism would make us more effective in global affairs as we would be learning the language of both our allies and enemies. Multicultural environments would become more comfortable for both the person whose native language is English and for the people whose native language isn’t; as a bilingual person whose first language wasn’t English, I can attest that I do feel more comfortable in areas where my native language is being spoken, for they remind me more of home. A common language between two people also fosters trust between them, strengthening relationships. As for being more productive, bilingualism serves as a form of accessibility. While opponents contend that

Open Document