Snooping network I found an interesting study published by the University of Chicago in 2015 about the benefits of exposure to bilingualism. This study showed that early exposure to multiple languages promotes the development of communication skills. Moreover, this was known that bilingualism favors executive control, memory and slows cognitive decline. To all this is added the social benefit generated by knowing several languages and emotions that causes learning and the first few times it is implemented.
In my homeland, Galicia, we could say that we are all bilingual, because we are born with two native languages: the Castilian and Galician. Could we say that this has benefited us both cognitively and in our social interactions? Perhaps not so much that if bilingualism was a more powerful worldwide as the English language. or with different dialectical roots. However, how well it is put in the CV you know two languages? This did not remove anyone. Galicia Viva!
Estimates say that more than half the world’s population is bilingual. To do this, we transcribe some questions posed to the expert in psycholinguistics François Grosjean, author of Life and Reality in an interview with Marianna Pogosyan. The complete article you can read it by clicking here.
We will try to summarize the 10 questions raised about bilingualism.
Bilinguals are people who use two or more languages (or dialects) in their daily lives.
There is no other monolingual and bilingual cerebral cortex. The brain uses the same neural structures and the same resources to handle both languages but in different ways.
According to researchers, there is no specific age to learn a second language without an accent, but generally could be performed between 10 and 15 years. However, there are cases of language teachers or highly motivated people with extended stays and intensive contact with native speakers have managed to become virtually native speakers.
Most use bilingual languages for different purposes or different people. As it must not be equally competent in both languages. The greater fluency in one or the other depends on the specific needs (principle of complementarity). It is very rare that bilinguals have equal proficiency in both languages.
The mixture of languages in children is normal, especially if the parents are also bilingual. It is not an important factor, what really matters is when language learning occurs, the strategy used and teach the need for each of the languages. Learn to use them at the right times.
Approximately 64% of bilingual people dream in one language or another depending on the type of sleep they have. That is, it happens the so-called principle of complementarity, which means that the language used depends on the need of the particular time. The same is true with dreams, depending on what you will do dream in one or another language.
Some bilingual claim to be different when using each language, even affecting his personality. However, what seems to be rather a change in attitudes and behaviors related to the context in which the person, regardless of the language used has. It is exactly the same in monolingual people adapt to situations, like the language used but not because of it.
The translation of a language occurs mainly in the early stages of second language acquisition. When a person finally everyday use both languages no longer translate or only rarely.
It is a myth that bilingual children have delayed language development. There is no evidence in this regard but it is known that the rate of language acquisition is the same as that of monolingual. Regarding the acquisition of vocabulary, working again the principle of complementarity and adults. The lexicon will be used depending on the needs and context.
There are several advantages: they can communicate with different people and different cultures; they sense that knowledge of several languages will help them learn new ones; bilingualism promotes an open mind; It offers different views on life; It reduces cultural ignorance and gives greater employment opportunities and social mobility.
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Source: Psychology Today
Foto: Pixabay.com
