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Benefits of being a bilingual/essay
Benefits of being a bilingual/essay
Advantages of bilingualism in a classroom
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Being bilingual implies a process in which everything looks so difficult at the beginning, but at the same time it is easier than what it looks like.
In my case, I speak three languages, but this time I am going to focus on the ones that I am in touch with most of the time. Spanish is my mother language and my second language is English, consequently, I am a bilingual person for all people who does not know what is being bilingual. According to Myers (2006), being bilingual is not only the ability of understanding a language, but learning how to produce it and also, deciding where you can use a certain way of language depending on the context you are. This is the real bilingual I am.
When I was eleven years old, I started to be in touch with
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In that moment I experienced code-mixing while I was explaining my topic. The class started, I spoke and while I was explaining my point of view my brain started to think in English, subsequently, I was not able to speak a complete sentence in Spanish. Literally, I mixed English and Spanish to create every sentence I said. My brain could not remember how to say words as “environment”, “aware”, “concerned” and some other words that event though I know them in Spanish, they were not in my mind at that time. And another case, but this time about code-switching, happened to me just three days ago when I went to a convention of languages where people who to practice the different languages they know. The reason I went was to try Portuguese but there were not people in the table that language. Under those circumstances, I sat down with the people who was speaking in English, next to the ones practicing French. Two hours later, a person who knew English and Portuguese arrived and sat down next to me. When I was speaking to him in Portuguese, a person that was speaking French turned his head and started to speak with us in the language we were using. This caused finding myself speaking in three different language groups; I was speaking with the English group, speaking Portuguese with other two persons, and Spanish too with some French. There I was speaking three languages at the
I can communicate with my family and friends that only speak one language. I can enjoy the marvelous stories that my grandparents and uncles tell me. I can also play with my cousins that live in El Salvador and Mexico. I am very proud of being bilingual because I represent the most important minorities in this great country, and I also represent other
The author Maria de la Luz Reyes explains through several characters born and raised in a family that spoke different native languages but he managed to excel in learning English. Biliteracy refers to the ability to communicate and write more than one language and this represents a major achievement because it takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication to realize it. The situation surrounding biliteracy is controversial because some parents appreciate when their children learn more than one language but others are not as Collins explains in the book, Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Biliteracy and its influence differs and Collin Baker identifies that diverse bilingual classes and schools, culture and language, influence dissimilar
This understanding stems from the understanding that many Canadians have about the idea of “two nations” in the country being of two founding peoples, the English and the French, but this sense of agreement ends here (Elliott 1). This reality has since expanded to encompass Aboriginals under this idea of nation founders, amidst an ever-expanding multicultural understanding of Canada. The historical foundations of the RCBB were sparked by a period of great change in Canada during the 1960s, especially in terms of the immigrant policies. These changes stood to both change and challenge previous immigration requirements, which were based on geographical and racial exclusion (Haque 20). With the demand for labour increasing in Canada, the immigration laws needed to be changed in order to allow for an increase in immigration once again. Though, this is not to say all dissimilarity elements of immigration were eliminated” (Haque 20). Opposition toward multiculturalism remains strong in Québec, while they participate in programs, which fund multiculturalism, their general stance often remains negative (Cardozo 170-171). This longstanding dislocation between the French and English stems back to a time where Quebec was looking for equality as the bulk of major economic institutions were oriented towards an English-speaking way of life.
You might wonder how it is possible to not confuse two phonetically different languages. The individual's brain has two language systems that work simultaneously without altering the other. The brain becomes more alert, quicker to deal with problems and resolve issues. Bilingual individuals can also differentiate between the literal meaning of words and phrases because they can think beyond labels and stereotypes.
A true bilingual would be someone who can, in everyday life, effectively speak two languages, an ability which not only assumes the person in question is both perfectly fluent in their two languages and lives in an environment where they would have to (Byers-Heinlein). However, monolingual children usually know more words in one language than a bilingual might in two languages, meaning a bilingual cannot effectively communicate in either of their languages as well as a monolingual would (Byers-Heinlein). Also, one language is often favored over the other by bilinguals, meaning that even if you know two languages, you’ll probably use one much more often and a large amount more capably than the other one (Meisel). Although learning English when
As I have read multiple articles about what bilingualism means, I have come to understand that it’s more complex than just speaking two or more languages. The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides three definitions of bilingualism: (1) the ability to speak two languages, (2) the frequent use (as by a community) of two languages, and (3) the political or institutional recognition of two languages. Espada’s view of bilingualism seems more in line with the third definition, and Rodriguez’s view identifies with the second one. I have developed my personal view as a mix of the second and third definitions. Although Merriam-Webster provides concrete definitions for bilingualism, people like Espada, Rodriguez, and myself have developed their own interpretation of bilingualism based on our cultural backgrounds and community environments.
On the light of minimal definition of bilingualism, which says even a little knowledge in another language can distinct a person from being monolingual (Bassetti &Cook(2011),Baker (2011). Then I will be an “incipient multilingual” who know certain phrases in Hindi, Tamil and Telegu as I belong to a country with diverse languages. However I like to label myself as bilingual rather than ‘multilingual’ or ‘plurilingual’ because of the awareness of my ability in English and my mother tongue is much stronger than the feeble use of other languages or gestures. Moreover ‘multilingual’ or ‘trilingual’ and so on can be included within the term ‘bilingual’(Bassetti &Cook,2011).
Nagy (2013) makes an attempt, through a case study and the use of previous studies, to test the theories of prominent researchers on the field such as Francois Grosjean (2011), Ellen Bilyastok (2010) and Jurgen Meisel (1994). Nagy (2013) notes in her case study that bilingual development is depending on environmental influence just as much as on the child’s individual aptitude and general intelligence.
Most of the time at school my lexicon is in English, I speak Spanish all the time at home.At times it is hard for me to switch my languages up because in Spanish we speak so quickly. My quick Spanish speaking always sticks to me and when speaking English I can slur a lot because of the speed in my voice. Adjusting the speed of my voice based on which language I am speaking is what I have been focusing on when communicating.
...thousands of years. Generally, bilingual education can mean any use of two languages in school, by teachers, students, or both – for a variety of social and pedagogical purposes. It also refers to the different approaches in the classroom that use the native languages of English language learners (ELLs) for instruction. These approaches include teaching English, fostering academic achievement, acculturating immigrants to a new society, and preserving a minority group’s linguistic and cultural heritage. Building on, rather than just discarding the students’ native-language skills, create a stronger foundation for success in English and academics. Also, if students learn languages at a younger age, it will be easier to remember and learn them, rather than if they were older. It helps to learn another language for students, and can later be useful in the future.
When this happens, bilinguals are not coached in how to code switch, but instead, they rely on unconscious linguistic understanding in differentiating between what are tolerable and intolerable code switching usages. According to Auer (1989), factors such as cultural interaction, intercultural marriage, education, and colonization are some influences for code switching. Moreover, speakers may choose to alternate from one code to another, either to distinguish oneself, to show commonality with a social group, to discuss a certain topic, join in social happenstances, to impress and influence the audience or to express feelings and affections (Crystal, 1987). However, there has been a misconception in many people’s perception, that “code switching is bad”, “code switching creates confusion” and that “code switching will result in a language deficit where individuals would not be fluent in either language”.
Hypothesis: Bilingual brains are better at temporarily storing and manipulating information in working memory in their first language, but varying in the second.
“Bilingual Education looks pretty on the surface but it’s cracking up underneath,” Jill smirked as she took a spoonful of the salmon brioche. Seated at the corner of a quaint café, Jill was dressed formally as she was from her workplace. Being one of the few Eurasians who interns at an international law firm, she has definitely proven herself to be an outstanding candidate for the firm due to her impeccable command of English. However, on that day, Jill reverted to speaking conversational English as she recollected her thoughts and unveiled her experiences during her ten years of Bilingual Education.
Also bilinguals do less than monolinguals in ‘VOCABULARY TESTS’ and also picture choosing and naming different objects in it. LANGUAGE FLUENCY is also affected for bilinguals because they become confused and double minded before choosing appropriate words for particular object in particular situations. If a child is seeking school language (academics required language) which is totally different from home language then this type of child “experiences increased difficulty in coping with both academically and socially”. “BILINGUALS are weak at perceiving the verbal and non-verbal tasks that require controlled attention and selectivity in conceptual categories”. Also, the cognitive problems such as memory-span development is reduced and speaking age time period also becomes late due to confused speaking problems of bilingualism.
Code-switching can also be conscious or unconscious. While a word from a different language might be added for clarity, fluently bilingual speakers may switch between languages with little intention or purpose. Persons in multilingual communities tend to code-switch frequently and with little or no conscious effort. A code-switching speaker may simply speak the first word that comes to mind, regardless of which language provides the source. Code-switching is not a sign of linguistic deficiency, but rather a sign of linguistic richness.