Take a look around in any instruction manual, what do you notice besides the instructions? The fact that it is printed in at least two different languages, sometimes even more. The United States is often referred to as the melting pot of many cultures. Therefore, the people speak many different languages. The use of these languages is a way of communicating amongst these cultures. As a result, it is becoming necessary to learn more than one language in order to properly communicate. The communication barrier can be eased through the learning of a second language by English speaking Americans. This method is referred to as second language acquisition. Second language acquisition (SLA) is the acquiring of a language that is not the native language …show more content…
There are occupations that multilingualism allows a person to communicate with customers in a better way such as servers, store clerks, and customer service representatives. This level of communication is not limited to customers, but also to fellow employees. Most people think of a second language only being needed in a retail setting. This is not necessarily true because many major corporations require upper management to be fluent in a second language. The need for multilingualism is not just restricted to the private business sectors, many government agencies are wanting employees to be multilingual (Alegria, 2011). The need to communicate without a language barrier is growing with the need for more government involvement in security. In many job description, there is a great emphasis on second language and the ability to use …show more content…
With second language acquisition, the students are able to communicate with others, even when they aren’t speaking their native language. The society in which we live is changing through this communication causing fewer misunderstandings due to the lack of a language barrier. The book The Social Turn in Second Language Acquisition, written by David Block, explains the details of the input-interaction-output (IIO) model of second language learning effect society (2003). This book breaks down the model and explains some of the social beliefs about second language acquisition, such as the interaction between people in a daily routine. With immigration on the rise, more languages are finding their way into the United States. People need to be able to work and communicate with each other. It can be hard to understand someone who is not speaking the same language as one’s self. This miscommunication can be dangerous in many instances, sometimes life-threatening. As an example, if someone could not tell a medical personal about a major medical condition. Or if someone is trying to get something as simple as directions to a hospital. Social skills are a major part of everyday life, and multilingualism will improve those
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
The technique relies on a holistic approach that adopts instructions that allow students to actively participate in the learning process. This is easier for children that feel that the society appreciates their diversity through bilingualism and biliteracy. The society and parents need to encourage children to take up bilingual classes because they offer a lot of benefit to the society through favoring critical thinking, rationality, and sensitivity to other cultures, empathy, and detached or balanced awareness. However, Sonia Nieto mirrors a society that is made to fake being American and become ashamed of their family. It helps appreciate that it is not by choice that anyone speaks any other language as the first language and that the society and community influence the language of choice. Therefore, bilingualism cannot be detached from any community that freely promotes and accommodate the language spoken by the other community. Children and community members learn each other’s language without disregarding each other favoring effective learning that influences bilingualism and biliteracy in the long
Day by day, there are foreigners whose first language may not be English. There can be difficulty in learning a new language in a new land, and it can be hard to adjust to
The migrant population, from different backgrounds, is increasing the numbers of children learning English in the United States. The children whose first language (L1) is other than English inability to communicate is the main issue they are facing during ...
Right now, imagine a person in a future job. More than likely that person will encounter somebody speaking a language besides their native tongue. If someone would find themselves in that position, would they be prepared? There is a growing need for translators and other jobs that require a different language other than English. Demands for bilingual workers have doubled in the past five years, and employers say that job is now one of the highest requests by employers when applying for a job opportunity in the US. The Army, NYPD, and the State Department all can’t get enough workers with this important job skill (Kurtz). A second language should be mandatory in American schools because it makes employees more marketable, creates social interaction with different cultures, and increases cognitive skills.
What a feeling! Learning a new language gives individuals a new way of thinking and feeling. Learning a new kind of language involves having total commitment and total involvement from students and teachers. In the article, Beyond English Development: Bilingual Approaches to Teaching Immigrant Students and English Language Learners indicates there are various standard definitions that describe language (Billings, Martin-Beltran, and Hernandez, 2010). Language is used to communicate with others and is essentially human, but not limited to only human beings. As individuals learn English as their Second Language, they learn that language is acquired by all kinds of people in the same way.
In today’s society, especially in the United States, most people are monolingual English speakers. As a result, these monolingual speakers are at a significant disadvantage compared to those who speak more than one language fluently. This disadvantage is crucial to realize since it is important to learn how individuals and the nation can be enhanced. Multilingual speakers have an advantage in global affairs that involve countries that speak different languages. Speaking multiple languages makes it easier to communicate with people when involved in foreign affairs. Those who speak multiple languages are also more aware of other cultures in society. Monolingual speakers are not as exposed to other cultures and have difficulty understanding or even recognizing them. Furthermore, being multilingual increases your
Immigrants live complicated lives as they adapt to new communities and new language while coming to America. Language barrier has a major effect on the lives of our immigrants and those who are acquiring English as their second language. Language barrier is a barrier to communication resulting from speaking different languages. The immigration population in the United States is growing rapidly. For many immigrants English is not their first language. In America, English is the main spoken language. People who are acquiring English as their second language are expected to embrace English along with customs and culture while at the same time holding on to the language and culture they first began with. However, language discrimination is a major
With an increase in globalization, many people venture into other countries to seek employment and education opportunities. The United States-based corporations employ over 100 million overseas workers. They also hire a large number of locals who then move to take roles in other countries where the company has operations (Reichard et al. 2015). This means that Americans are exposed to a high number of people from other nations with diverse cultures in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and other social places. Therefore, people need to improve their intercultural communication skills to enable them to interact efficiently with people with diverse cultures. The improvement of technology has made the media an agent for enhanced
Bilingual education have been a serious issue for immigrant student. Beginners in education who move to the United States, have an issue with communication, in how to understand English, and losing their identity. For immigrants students, not knowing a second language affect seriously their life in the United States. In his article “An Education in Language,” Richard Rodriguez presents how the English language became a barrier that changed him and his family. Rodriguez explains how hard the challenge of understanding English was for him during his early years of school. Besides, Rodriguez illustrates that his parents’ lives were affected by lacking education and their opinion about it. In addition, he moved over to pursue higher education.
Foreign language skills can be useful in promoting American foreign interests. In a global economy, doing business abroad is paramount, but language barriers can be a burden. Opponents of a foreign language requirement in education would argue that most foreign businessmen already speak English. Admittedly, most foreign competitors do speak English, but only out of necessity. They learned to speak English in an effort to better communicate with their American counterparts and take advantage of the money making potential of doing business in America.
There are a lot of languages, and a lot of dialects. These dialects vary from each city, each farm, and each country. In Iraq, there are different accents and dialects depending on which part of the city you are from. This separation of language is a problem. Words tend to get lost in translation. On top of that, when people are incapable of understanding each other, both the speaker and the listener are left confused.
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela. Since the 1960’s learning a second language has decreased by 30 percent in today’s society. People who wish to learn an additional language often do so to communicate with people who reside in different countries. With an increase in today’s globalization, it is forcing companies throughout the world to break the language barrier. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous citizens find it unnecessary to learn another language, as a translation is at the tip of their fingers. The methods of learning a foreign language can differentiate between people. Nevertheless it has been
As time goes by and as the global community develops, the world grows more and more international, making second or third language acquisition become necessary to the majority. With the growing importance of multiple language ability, more and more parents think of bilingual or multilingual education, which means acquisitions of two or more languages, for their kids. In fact, we do have many reasons showing why multilingual education is important and beneficial, such as aspects of interpersonal relationship, employment, brain health, and so on.
Second language learning is the process of learning a different language other than one’s mother tongue resulting in the ability of an individual to use one or more languages different from his first language. It can take place in a natural setting or through classroom instructions; however, the degree of proficiency differs (Gomleksiz, 2001).