Bilingual 101

Recently I had a conversation with some friends of mine. There thoughts are not all that different from a large portion of the population, but it is so different than how I currently think or how a lot of the world thinks, it struck me as shocking that day. My friend said that if someone knows another language other than English, the place for that language is home...not work. She said that her parents always said that people who come here should leave their culture and their language behind and become an American. Now, my friend was not going that far herself, believing that people can keep their language and culture. As the conversation continued, her clear worry was that if people were encouraged to hold onto their language and culture, that they would try to take over America and force values and languages on the rest of us that we do not want.

On one hand, I can understand this line of reasoning. We are, after all, a nation of immigrants. There is a legitimate fear that people who immigrate will have different value systems and ideals than we do and will change and alter the America we know and love. Some of the cultural shifts that have happened recently in America are frightening to some...including me. But they are not necessarily coming from "those guys". Many of the ideals I don't like that have crept into our culture have nothing to do with other languages or other cultures.

The other side of the argument, the one that I find myself wholeheartedly behind, is stripping people of their culture and their language is taking a vital part of their identity away from them. Even if you say that they can use their language at home or in private, it is still marginalizing their language as something inferior. I put myself in their shoes. In fact, I have been in their shoes. Like I said in the previous post, I lived in Peru for six months and had to learn the language of the land to live and work and have a social life. There were a few people, however, that knew English. Mostly they were the other American volunteers who worked with me at the orphanage. When I was around them, it was so nice not to have to try really hard to understand or try really hard to be understood. I could just talk. I could joke and laugh. I could communicate about deeper and more important things, things that I couldn't accurately communicate about in Spanish yet. We learned together, we had fun together, we cried together. These were my friends and they got me through some of the challenging things I faced in that season of my life. I could not imagine someone communicating to me that I should not talk to them in English, that I was somehow against Peru by doing so. Or even that I was trying to turn Peru into America. That is an absurd thought! I was working so hard to learn their language. I just had moments where I wanted or needed a break.

What a lot of Americans do not understand is that almost every person who moves to this country strongly desires to learn English. They are so many benefits to learning the language of the land, especially in the job world. But what a lot of people don't understand is that it takes 5 to 7 years to truly become fluent in a language. Of course, people can learn enough to have a conversation, to get by, in about six months to 3 years, depending on their circumstances. But to truly be able to read, write, speak, and listen about all topics that an average adult would face, it takes 5 to 7 years. And that is if they have the right support and opportunities. Sometimes it takes even longer. For example, if a person moves to the US from Mexico and lives in a Latino neighborhood and works two jobs, one at a Mexican restaurant and the other as a housekeeper, there are not very many opportunities to learn English in day to day life. Many immigrants are working long hours and do not have the finances for a language tutor or other resources that would help them learn the language. Should they work to learn English? Of course. It would serve them well. But almost all of them are fully aware of this... more acutely aware of this than any of us.

What many Americans do not understand is that maintaining a first language and ADDING English is the best solution...becoming bilingual or multilingual. Actually, being bilingual is a normal occurrence in a lot of the world. The actual global statistic of how many people are bilingual or multilingual is not certain but many different sources I found say that a majority of the world is fluent in more than one language (Tucker, 1999). In Europe, 56% of people claim to be bilingual or multilingual (European Commission, 2006). The United States is in the minority when it comes to bilingualism with only 20% of the population indicating that they speak another language other than English at home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007).

You might be thinking, just because bilingualism is common does not mean that it is the best solution. After all, a lot of the countries that have a lot of bilingual people have logistical reasons for this. For example, a lot of Europeans learn a second language because there are so many languages surrounding them since the countries are smaller and closer together. It is helpful to them for business, in their social lives, and when they go on vacation.

Ok, that is great for Europeans, but we aren't Europeans, you might be thinking. If everyone that comes to America just learns English we would have the same result, everyone can communicate with everyone else. The benefits of bilingualism are not limited to the ability to communicate with someone from a different country, though. There are many, many more reasons to encourage bilingualism in others and to consider becoming bilingual ourselves.

Benefits of Bilingualism

First, there is a tremendous benefit to immigrant people to maintain their home language. Not only is it useful to communicate with the people back home, but their language is part of their identity as a person. Encouraging immigrants to hold onto their roots while learning the American language and culture helps decrease frustration, increase self-image, and lessens the tension between immigrants and their families and communities...especially where children are concerned (Nieto, 2009). Not only that, but if students are taught in school in both English and their home language, they are more likely to outperform other English learners who learn in only English at school(Nieto). Learning in both languages not only helps them access information that would be not possible during the beginning stages of learning English, but also skills and knowledge learned in their native language easily transfers to their second language. For example, scientific knowledge, such as how to use the scientific method, once learned can be used in either language as long as the terminology is learned in the second language. I know it is not always possible for all students to learn in both their native language and English, but there are actually countless studies that support it. So, whenever it is possible, it is best.

Being bilingual is not only beneficial for people who leave their home country and arrive in another as an immigrant. There are also many benefits to the brain that have been discovered. Bilingual individuals use their brains in different ways than a monolingual person does. The attention and work it takes the brain to find the right words in the right language for the right context actually is like doing brain gymnastics. And, just like exercise for your body, this brain exercise improves brain function such as increased focus, increase objectivity in decision making, and may even slow the onset of dementia (Davis, Harris, & Dubno, 2011)! There is even evidence that being bilingual makes a person a better employee. Not only is a bilingual person more likely to be able to communicate with immigrants or international customers more effectively but also have been shown to be better at productivity, multitasking, prioritizing, conflict management, and unbiased decision-making (Satter, 2017).

APPLICATION:

So, what can you do?

EVERYONE:

First, everyone can communicate value in the languages of the people around them. How do you do that? If you know someone that knows another language, ask them about it. Learn some words. Find out about their culture. Demonstrate that you are genuinely interested. Second, think about learning a second language. Even if you never become completely fluent, the brain gymnastics that you will be doing will strengthen your brain. It is also a great way to make friends, especially if you know someone who knows another language.

TEACHERS:

First, consider incorporating the language and culture of your students into the classroom. Even if you can't create a full bilingual program at your school, you can at least show your English Language Learners that you care about their language and their culture. Even if you can't find ways to work into your lesson plans, you can at least ask them about it when you are chatting with your students in less formal ways. Second, study your students language. Even if you can't learn the whole language, finding out how their language and English are similar and ways they are different can help you make connections between what they know already and how English is similar or different to that prior knowledge. Third, seek to change your perspective of your English Language Learners. Look at them as having a great opportunity to become bilingual instead of looking at them as lacking language or being a burden to you. Your beliefs about bilingualism will impact how you treat English Language Learners. You also have a great opportunity to communicate to both emergent bilingual students and monolingual students that knowing more than one language is amazing.

References

Davis, S., Harris, K., & Dubno, J. (2011).The bilingual brain Benefits and Challenges of Communicating in Multiple Languages. Audiology Today, 23(3), 62-63. Retrieved from http://www.audiology.org/

European Commission. (2006). Europeans and their Languages. Retrieved from http://dana.org/Cerebrum/2012/The_Cognitive_Benefits_of_Being_Bilingual/

Nieto, D. (2009). A Brief History of Bilingual Education in the United States. Penn GSE Perspectives on Urban Education, 6(1), 61-72. Retrieved from http://www.urbanedjournal.org/

Satter, M. (2017). Bilingual Employees Benefit Employers in Multiple Ways. BenefitsPRO. 1p, 7. Retrieved from http://www.alm.com/

Tucker, R. (1999). A global perspective on bilingualism and bilingual education. CAL Online Resources: Digests. Retrieved from cal.org

U.S. Census Bureau. (2007). American Community Survey. Retrieved from http://dana.org/Cerebrum/2012/The_Cognitive_Benefits_of_Being_Bilingual/