Key Factors in the Development of Bilingualism

Name:

Course:

Institution:

Instructor:

Date:

Key Factors in the Development of Bilingualism

The interviewee’s name is Jane Stevens. She is a university student who is at the age of 23. Her Native language is English, her second language being French. As she grew up, she learnt and spoke English. French was introduced in higher learning. According to her views, she had many myths about learning new languages. This is one factor, which discouraged her from learning other languages at a younger age. On joining campus, her perceptions were changed. She says many people have many beliefs, which are not true. They are an obstacle to people who have an interest in being bilingual.

Some of the myths include children who learn two languages simultaneously will get confused (Titone, 1990). Stevens hesitated to learn French when she was in elementary because she thought she would get confused. Another myth is that bilingual people lack a sense of belonging. This is caused by their knowledge of two languages, and it becomes difficult to identify with either of them. This is not actually true because identity has many determinants and not just language. Stevens realized this fact when she got to university. In fact, she interacted with other students who were multilingual.

Stevens also believed that learning other languages should be done when one is an adult. She thought adults’ brain capacity could handle new languages better than that of a child. This is why she decided to pursue French after enrolling in campus. This myth is not true because many children have learnt a second language in their elementary and they did well. Stevens said she was performing well in her French classes and believed that it could have been impossible if she did it when she was young. She is now aware children can comfortably learn more than one language.

Children can learn more than one language if they are given adequate support. There should be an organized plan of how to teach the child to enhance fast learning. Children will only get confused if there is no steady plan of teaching them (Williamson & Williamson, 1984). It is not true to say or think children are not capable of bilingualism. An observation was done in some countries. These countries have many ethnic groups. Therefore, children have to be bilingual. For example, they are taught their Native language and national language. This is to facilitate harmony in a country with many ethnic communities.

Several factors have contributed in learning French. Since Stevens was a young girl, she has been interested in learning other languages. French is her favorite foreign language; this is why she chose it. Another reason for bilingualism is her interest in traveling. She likes traveling to France and French is the national language. For effective communication, she decided to learn French. Steven’s major course corresponds with learning foreign languages. She is pursuing a degree in tourism studies. Tourism involves people from different cultures including languages. It is advisable to learn as many languages as possible. It will be easy to communicate with tourists.

Other goals have influenced Stevens to study French language. She intends to become a resident in France. She will live there for several years before she returns to her home. Therefore, she will have to learn French for easier interaction with other people. One of the most important factors of assimilating is learning the language of that community. Language helps new members of the society to get along with the rest of the society members. It will also help them economically because they can do business within the country. For example, when Stevens goes to live in France, she can get employment or do businesses without any communication barrier (Bialystok, 1986).

Other determining factors are policies of the institution. All students pursuing tourism studies are expected to choose one foreign language. Since Stevens liked French, she decided to choose it. Her parents encouraged her to study a foreign language. They are multilingual and it enables them to get along with people from different communities. Their professions entail traveling. Therefore, being multilingual has enabled them to do business internationally. She realized bilingualism could increase an individual’s opportunities for employment.

Stevens enjoys her experiences in learning French. They do not only learn the language but also French culture. It has uplifted her knowledge about studying diverse cultures (Cameron, 1996). The most interesting part is organizing events, which enable them to practice speaking French. For instance, they have French culture week. They portray their culture and ensure they always communicate to each other in French. Some students volunteer to write plays in French language and present to an audience. Such practices are important to students. In case one migrates to France or another French-speaking country, he or she will fit in without problems.

The environment has helped Stevens progress in learning French. She is encouraged by her friends and classmates. They help her with the challenges she experiences with her classes. Her lecturers are cooperative and ready to help her with her academic problems. Apart from school events, she has access to other French-related. She attends them and interacts with other people with similar interests. This becomes a learning experience for her and other students who attend. The institution’s administration supports French students by assisting them in organizing events like French culture week.

Bilingualism can be acquired through informal or formal means. They are both equally effective to use in learning other languages. Informal method entails learning from social environment like from family members, the neighborhood or any other social setting. Formal learning entails enrolling in an institution to learn. There are courses for specific languages offered in institutions. Both young and old people are fit to use any of the two methods and they will be competent. People can learn more than one language simultaneously and become good speakers (Titone, 1990).

Stevens commented about children and people who fail when learning second language. In countries like Britain and United States, there is great emphasis of people to be bilingual. In fact, education system has opportunities for children to learn other languages. Unfortunately, one child out of twenty will become competent. This is caused by several circumstances affecting such people. Such people do not do enough practice as they are learning. This entails reading, writing and verbal communication. Some people do not have adequate aptitude to learn another language. Such people will become poor speakers hence fail.

Other factors include lacking interest and no motivation. Some parents want their children to learn another language against their will. Such students will only learn to please their parents. It is worse when such students to do not get motivation. They will give up and put no effort trying to improve their understanding. If there is no chance to practice the second language, it is possible to fail. Perfection in language is enhanced by practicing. A learner will be fluent if he or she communicates in it regularly.

It is important for people to be bilingual. This mainly applies to countries with many ethnic groups. They should learn common languages to ensure there is flow of communication (Williamson & Williamson, 1984). Common languages enhance harmony and understanding. People can work together and develop their country. In such countries, children start learning languages as early as possible. Some languages are taught in school others are learnt from home. For example, school curriculums include national and official language of the country. Such students not only become bilingual but also multilingual.

The interview with Jane Steven shows the importance bilingualism in business. People are encouraged to learn second language for economic purposes. It will be useful during trade with other countries. Globalization and the access to free market open up the world to everyone. It will be a challenge if there is no common language between two businesses partners. For example, if Japanese wants to trade with US. They must have a common language. Japanese speak their Native language whereas Americans speak English. One party or both have to be bilingual.

People who like traveling frequently need to learn other languages. This mainly applies to the country one is visiting. For example, Stevens was frequently visiting France. This was why she chose to learn French. Students make friends with similar class in another country. Some of them even exchange classroom for a certain period. Stevens’ class of French had pen pals from another French class in Paris. Their interaction was enhanced by having a common language. Some of the students from Paris were also students of English (Bialystok, 1986).

Students or other people who are bilingual, have access to more information than those who are not. They can read information written in other languages. Information is power because it adds knowledge. The information could be in databases or on the internet. Students doing research can utilize journals or other scholarly materials written in another language. Stevens is French literate and can source information from French-written journals. During cultural week, she writes plays and poems in French. Stevens is one of the best performing students in French studies.

Bilingualism contributes to cognitive development (Cameron, 1996). Learning another language develops the mind. The mind becomes fit and gains stamina. The learner becomes more intelligent. The traditional belief was bilingualism is just for general knowledge. Just as other subjects in the curriculum, learning another language was considered as just for academic value. It helps to improve the personality of the learner. The activities done when learning a language, enables a learner to perform well in other areas. For example, mastering the words and constructing sentences improves the memory of the learner. He or she will use the same application on other subjects. Such students become overall best performers.

Stevens had high self-esteem and confidence. This is one of the reasons she became the interviewee. She is comfortable in expressing herself because of the language skills she has acquired. Being bilingual has assisted her be confident because she is fluent when speaking. Learning new languages improves an individual’s self-esteem and confidence. Such people become sociable easily and they can operate in new environments. This is why bilingualism is important for career people because they will comfortably work in their new environment.

In the political arena, bilingualism is important because it brings competition among interested people (Titone, 1990). They compete to show their worth socially for them to be accepted. A bilingual politician is considered more sociable than those who know one language. People who understand many languages can become diplomats for the country. There is a big demand for people with language expertise in some countries. This is because the government would like to use this people as mediators or representatives of the country.

Stevens mentioned that when she started learning French she experienced problems than when she was learning her Native language. This is because learners of a younger age are quicker in understanding language than older ones. According to research on children learning language, they learn fast and easily than adults or young adults. Ages matter because too young children take more than older ones. For instance, a six –year old will take more time than a teenager of thirteen years will. This is because the mind capacity of a teenager is larger than that of a six-year old.

Age factor should not discourage any potential learner from learning another language. If people adopt good programs of learning, they will learn another language successfully. Stevens had problems initially but she maintained a consistent program of studying and she is now a competent student. It is normal to experience hardship because an individual is learning something new (Williamson & Williamson, 1984). This should not discourage the learners and they give up. Learners can seek support when they face problems. Learning new languages is not a popular program but it is vital. There are so many advantages accrued to it and people should consider it. In a general point of view, it is exciting t learn other languages and their cultures. Stevens said they are always excited about the French culture week because they learn a lot of interesting information.

Learning more than one language is important to every person. It has many benefits especially from a global point of view. People should differentiate between facts and myths about bilingualism and learning new languages. It is possible for everyone to learn another language, so long as he or she uses a good plan of learning. Children should be taught other languages as early as possible. Parents and guardians should encourage their children to become bilingual. They should support them and help them to practice their new languages. Schools also should continue putting more emphasis on learning other languages. There should be as many language programs as possible (Titone, 1990).

References

Bialystok, E. (1986). Factors in the Growth of Linguistic Awareness. Child Development, 57, 2, 498-510.

Cameron, L. (1996). Language Development of Bilingual Pupils in the Mainstream: How Do Pupils and Teachers Use Language? Language and Education, 10, 4, 221-36.

Titone, R. (1990). Early bilingual reading: recent research trends. Language and Education, 4, 137-150.

Williamson, R. C., & Williamson, V. L. (1984). Selected Factors in Bilingualism: The Case of Galicia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 5, 5, 401-13.