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Benefits Of Bilingualism In Society

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Bilingualism in today’s society is indeed prominent and the benefits that emerge impact one’s development immensely. In fact, having the ability to be proficient in two or more languages has proven to be more beneficial in various spheres in comparison to only being proficient in one language. However, one tends to question how it contributes to a child’s development or possibly even to teaching another language. This paper will address these matters of interest by firstly looking at the theoretical framework of bilingualism. Following this, the paper will analyse practical examples of bilingualism in society today where it will become apparent that the benefits of bilingualism outweigh the negative effects it may have on a variety of domains …show more content…

In the article Reshaping the Mind: The Benefits of Bilingualism, Bialystok seeks to provide an analysis of how bilingual individuals outperform those who are only proficient in one language by looking at the effect bilingualism has on the individuals executive control (Bialystok, 2001). An experiment that was carried out compared how well a bilingual performed in comparison to a monolingual when asked to participate in a Stroop task and it was evident that the bilingual outperformed the monolingual, thus enhancing the bilingual’s executive control (Bialystok, 2011). By being proficient in two languages, it has been proven that both languages are constantly active which increases the chance of interference from occurring; and it is through this constant exchange in languages that makes the executive control an essential factor for a bilingual to process language (Bialystok, 2011). The data that is provided supports the main argument of this article and it is because of this well-formed connection that proves how bilingualism might shape one’s …show more content…

Bilinguals have proven to have a faster “conceptual access” during translation as well as assisting with certain features of memory (Harley, 2008). Leaving aside the positive aspects of bilingualism, there are criticisms that need to be addressed so that it can be compared and weighed in relation to the prominent positive impact bilingualism has. For starters, it is evident through the observation of switching between languages and the difficulty that is involved, brain damaged individuals who are bilingual may suffer from further disorders (Harley, 2008). Another key criticism in being proficient in two languages is that it is said that bilinguals respond to stimuli a lot slower than monolinguals do (Green, 1986 as cited in Harley, 2008). Adding to this critique, through “electrophysiological measures” it is evident that there is a complex and significant difference between monolinguals and bilinguals in terms of the comprehension as well as their reading (Proverbio et al., 2002 as cited in Harley, 2008). Although there are several criticisms that challenge the positive impact bilingualism has on development, cognition and language teaching, it is important that one takes them into

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