Universidad Pedagógica Experimental LibertadorInstituto Pedagógico de Caracas

Departamento de Idiomas ModernosPrograma Inglés

Cátedra de Lingüística

Course: Didáctica del Idiomas Inglés

Class: 001Professor: Nahir Aparicio

Student: Ramón Oviedo

Caracas, February 2013

Let us know Some Information on Bilingualism

As it is known bilingualism is the act of learning/

acquiring two languages.

It is the ability to communicate in two languages, but

with greater skills in one language.

Some researchers explain that children can acquire two

languages at the same time proceed through the same

stages of language development as monolingual speakers

learning the same language.

The expressive language milestones are commonly

extended by two to three months among before the age of

three.

At the age of three, children should develop what

Cummins (1984) calls ‘basic interpersonal

communication skills’. That is to say, children begin to

acquire the basic, but ample vocabulary for their daily

contexts. After that, they move on to the next stage

which is ‘cognitive academic language proficiency’.

Bialystok (2001) states that the development of two languages

in childhood turns out to be a profound event that ripples

through the life of that individual.

Accessing to two languages in early childhood can accelerate

the development of both verbal and non-verbal abilities.

It was found that there are some cognitive processes, namely

attention and inhibition that develop earlier and possibly more

strongly in bilinguals, contributing to metalinguistic

awareness and language learning.

Bilingual children not only experience and learn to

master the social conventions and conversational

styles of at least two languages. Their bilingual

experiences ‘challenge their world views and social

identity’ as Bialystok explains and possibly give

them different and broader perspectives on events

and people around them.

According to Watson (1995), children who have learned an

additional language need a consistent support in learning

environment to maintain a “threshold” in the additional

language.

Children who receive consistent and appropriate input in

both languages face less risk of language loss.

When children do not receive sufficient language support,

high exposure in the additional language may bring negative

effect in first language acquisition to a certain extent.

1. Compound bilingual is an individual who learns two

languages in the same environment so that he/she acquires

one notion with two verbal expressions.

2. Coordinate bilingual acquires the two languages in different

contexts (e.g., home and school), so the words of the two

languages belong to separate and independent systems.

3. Sub-coordinate bilingual, one language dominates.

(D'Acierno, 2012)

4. Simultaneous bilingual acquires two languages as "first

languages".

5. Receptive bilingual is able to understand two languages,

but expresses in only one.

6. Sequential bilingual learns one language after already

established a first language.

It makes children be smarter, helping them to solve some types

of mental puzzles, and ignore distraction.

It has a positive effect on children’s brain, not only improving

their cognitive skills, but also shielding them against dementia

and Alzheimer in old age.

It helps the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a

workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles.

It helps infants to solve some types of metal puzzles.

It helps to switch attention willfully from one theme to another

and hold information in mind. (Viorica and Shook, 2012)

http://www.academia.edu/389219/Does_learning_another_language_matter_to_Theory_of_Mind_-Young_childrens_bilingualism_and_Theory_of_Mind_development

Bilingual Behaviour. Available at http://www.translationdirectory.com/article419.htm

http://dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=39638 M. D'Acierno, (2012). Types of Bilingualism. Document on line:

Available at http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED321574&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED321574

M. Viorica and A. Shook, (2012). The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual. Document on line: Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=0