ipl-logo

Multilingualism In Second Language Acquisition

1310 Words6 Pages

Multilingualism is a global phenomenon that has become the norm for many countries and no longer the exception. This has been the cause and effect of colonialism, globalisation, immigration and the advancement of technology (Coulmas, 2018). South Africa, like many post colonial countries, is known for its multilingual nature as well as diversity in race, and culture. There are 11 official languages that are utilised on a daily basis in various environments making multilingualism common amongst most learners in the country (Webb. 2002).

According to the Educational Policy (1997) all learners have to be taught and assessed in at least 2 of the 11 language subjects from Grade 3 to matric (Language in Education Policy, 1997). Therefore, potentially …show more content…

Acquiring multiple languages is complex and although has similar processes to second language acquisition there are also other factors involved. Language acquisition has been a cognitive experience that has been thoroughly investigated and theorised. From a cognitive perspective it has been the central point of understanding thought (see Skinner, Chomsky, Piaget and Vygotsky, etc.). Languages can be acquired formally (educational instruction) and informally (environments outside of the classroom). The reason why someone acquires a language can be due not only to home and school environments but each language also has a sociocultural status and a particular role in society. Languages can represent an individual as well as a whole community. However, there is more than acquiring language in order to be considered knowing that language. It is significant to also to have acquired a certain degree of proficiency in that language (Cenoz & Genesee, …show more content…

Academic language is considered to be more complex than social or conversational language (Molle, Sato, Boals, & Hedgspeth, 2015). There have been two major differentiations between social and academic language. The Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) are language skills necessary for social contexts and day-to-day communication. . In the education system many learners are mistaken to be language proficient because they are able to interact well socially. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) is academic language, which is necessary for children to succeed in school environments. Academic language needs to be learned as it involves more than just vocabulary but also language skills such as identifying, evaluating, and inferring (Cummins, 1999). According to Cummins (1999), it is important that these two levels of language are seen as separate because misconceptions on language proficiency can lead to underperforming academically. It is also essential that cognitive skills are included in bilingual (or more)

Show More
Related

  • New Bathroom Policy At English High School By Martin Espada

    442 Words  | 2 Pages

    What they want to do is also retain their own language, culture, and identity” (164-167). Here, Espada highlights how language helps people absorb new cultures and offer a wider perception of our world, but that people also want to keep their sense of self-worth without losing

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of English Only Laws Divide And Demean

    1082 Words  | 5 Pages

    One of the ways the author used logos in his writing was by stating that the English-Only campaign transformed into a movement in 1931 in order to ban all non-English languages in government documents and printed material regarding any federal, state, and local government information. Because of how difficult achieving this was, it was decided to create a law called “Language of Government” that mandates that the official language of the federal government is English. Since this happened, 27 states have passed laws that state English as the “official” language of their territory. Also, with this, the author is trying to make his readers see the severity of this situation by exposing the number of states that have dedicated time and resources into making sure that English is the only language being spoken in their territory. On the other hand, by citing the National Association of Multicultural Education, shows the importance of bilingualism and how it is stated is stated in various official government documents such as the U.S. Declaration of Independence, constitutions of South Africa and the United States, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted by the United Nations.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Hunger Of Memory By Richard Rodriguez

    2169 Words  | 9 Pages

    When I was younger I was enrolled into Bilingual classes since preschool which cost me dearly. While taking these classes I had trouble learning English and Spanish words at the same time. I struggled through elementary school because I was not used to focusing primarily on English which affected my grades. While it is true that colleges look for students who know more than one language, the problem with that requirement is that students who focus on two languages at once are more likely to fail their classes because they do not have their full attention directed towards the English language and they don’t pay attention to that factor. Colleges do not see the risk of being a bilingual student.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Richard Rodriguez And Anzaldúa

    701 Words  | 3 Pages

    Confident Relationships Built on Language Wouldn’t it be exciting to grow up learning more than one language? Imagine being in Japan for a week on vacation with a group of friends, and one day decided to go to the oldest zoo in Japan, Ueno Zoo. To get to Ueno Zoo, riding the bullet train was a necessity, except knowing which line was the correct line, when to get off the bullet train, or even which ticket to buy was a daunting task. Nobody in your group has the confidence to ask the workers for help since they don’t have the knowledge of Japanese to help them.

    Read More

  • Always Living In Spanish By Marjorie Agosin Analysis

    1095 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout generations cultural traditions have been passed down, alongside these traditions came language. The language of ancestors, which soon began to be molded by the tongue of newer generations, was inherited. Though language is an everlasting changing part of the world, it is a representation of one’s identity, not only in a cultural way but from an environmental standpoint as well. One’s identity is revealed through language from an environmental point of view because the world that one is surrounded with can cause them to have their own definitions of words, an accent, etc. With newer generations, comes newer forms of languages.

    Read More

  • Speaking In Tongues Analysis

    1764 Words  | 8 Pages

    Having a second language in your background is so impactful on one’s life, providing them with more skills. This is the 21st century and having this skill helps an individual be

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Bilingual Education

    1138 Words  | 5 Pages

    If students begin their bilingual education as early as kindergarten, they are more likely to successfully acquire a second language. Children are like sponges and soak up information easily. Research conducted by Dr. Patricia Kuhl at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington shows that by 8-12 months, if babies are exposed to a second language, they retain the ability to distinguish those foreign sounds. Moreover, through the age of 7 or 8, children are able to learn to speak a second language with fluent grammar and without an accent.

    Read More

  • To Speak Is To Blunder Analysis

    1635 Words  | 7 Pages

    Our identity is a place upon many attributes of a human being. Whether the person is someone who goes on promoting themselves to the world or not, and it shows how people communicate to others around them. Language is one of the main components that unveils the person’s identity in their everyday life, and they are many different ways to approach a person’s language. Relating to the article of Yiyun Li, “To Speak is to Blunder,” she knows two languages that has its positive and negative outcomes in her life. I to relate to her understanding of language, but a different view of what language means to me.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare In The Bush Language Analysis

    991 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Language is an important source of evidence for what that system is like. (Lakoff, Johnson 1)” I agree with this statement because language preserves a culture. We are taught what our ancestors were taught long time ago. Studying the language will give an insight of what the culture is like.

    Read More

  • Two Languages Are Better Than One Essay

    1813 Words  | 8 Pages

    A person who speaks more than one language is described as being bilingual. According to the United States Department of Education, “about 21% of school-age children speak a language other than English at home,” (Lowry, 2011). As Wayne Thomas and Virginia Collier describe in, “Two Languages are Better Than One,” children who come into school having a first language besides English, tend to struggle. Usually when a child struggles with a particular subject, they are taken out of the main classroom and brought somewhere for a remedial class. But according to Thomas and Collier, in order to help narrow the gap in comprehension, English learners and English speakers need to be kept together in order to be fully enriched in a successful learning

    Read More

  • Essay About Children Learning A Second Language

    882 Words  | 4 Pages

    The ability to develop foreign language become reduces. Besides the age factor Experience and school environment as well as the teaching. They play an important role in the development of language skills. So the bilingual is necessary: using

    Read More

  • Language Development In Multicultural Education

    9762 Words  | 40 Pages

    The students will develop pride in themselves and their heritage. Thus, the psychological and cognitive aspects involved in learning of two or more languages in an educational setting, the challenges of linguistic planning and the translation of information across languages is what we shall discuss elaborately in subsequent sections. I shall attempt to provide on the one hand an overview of L1 learning, and on the other hand some ways in which this relates to L2 learning in a

    Read More

  • Advantages Of Bilingualism Essay

    1064 Words  | 5 Pages

    Being bilingual has got many advantages. It has been debated that bilingualism has multiple advantages such as cognitive, cultural, academic benefits as well. Cognitive benefit reveals that being bilingual help to facilitate human brain. People who are bilingual have two language systems which are working simultaneously. These systems don’t create hindrance in individual’s performance and ensure brain’s functioning of both cognitive aspects (Bialystok, 1999).

    Read More

  • Nativist Theory Of Language Acquisition

    1333 Words  | 6 Pages

    The questionable and ambiguous nature surrounding the notion that children play an active role in acquiring language has been debated by many theorists of different perspectives. These three perspectives include the learning view, the nativist view and the interactionist view. In this essay I will discuss each perspective with reference to psychological theories and research that relates to each view. The learning perspective of language acquisition suggests that children acquire language through imitation and reinforcement (Skinner, 1957). The ideology behind this view claims that children develop language by repeating utterances that have been praised by their parent, therefore gaining a larger vocabulary and understanding of phrases over

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Learning A Second Language Essay

    858 Words  | 4 Pages

    Why taking a second language can be helpful Learning a second language has many lifelong beneficial other than just understanding the language itself, mainly if learned at a young age. Learning a second language can be done more efficiently as a young kid, and can open up many doors for later in life while being mentally advanced. When it comes to learning a second language, the younger you start the easier you will begin to learn your second language. Younger brains learn much easier than older brains because the brain is designed for language learning to take place between birth and adolescence (the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult).

    Read More

More about Multilingualism In Second Language Acquisition

Open Document