Hi Suzi, I think you post is very interesting because I am also bilingual. My first language was Vietnamese and I learned English after starting school. I've always known that being bilingual has a multitude of benefits but it’s nice to see specifically how being bilingual affects the brain. I think learning a new language is a great way to keep the brain engaged and to gain a new life skill. That being said, I wonder how age and early life exposure affect someone’s ability to learn a new language. Studies have shown that children with who receive language exposure at an earlier age with more consistency are more proficient in learning new languages (Mayberry 2002). Unlike many other countries the US is monolingual. If school started teaching different languages to children in school at a younger age rather then staring in high school or college, the students may perform better with learning new languages.
Mayberry, R. I., Lock, E., & Kazmi, H. (2002). Linguistic ability and early language exposure. Nature, 417(6884), 38. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1038/417038a
I resonated a lot with your post as I am also bilingual. Spanish was my first language and I learned english when I was about 5 or 6 years old. One thing that your article brings up is the ability to manage conflict better than those who only speak one language, this brought me to think about my own experiences. I have often been faced with translating for my parents and for those who do not speak one of the languages that I can speak. This in turn has often put me in situations where I was a translator or mediator. I unfortunately could not find an article supporting this idea but it may be that the experiences that a bilingual person goes through could also have an effect. What do you think?
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ReplyDeleteHi Suzi, I think you post is very interesting because I am also bilingual. My first language was Vietnamese and I learned English after starting school. I've always known that being bilingual has a multitude of benefits but it’s nice to see specifically how being bilingual affects the brain. I think learning a new language is a great way to keep the brain engaged and to gain a new life skill. That being said, I wonder how age and early life exposure affect someone’s ability to learn a new language. Studies have shown that children with who receive language exposure at an earlier age with more consistency are more proficient in learning new languages (Mayberry 2002). Unlike many other countries the US is monolingual. If school started teaching different languages to children in school at a younger age rather then staring in high school or college, the students may perform better with learning new languages.
ReplyDeleteMayberry, R. I., Lock, E., & Kazmi, H. (2002). Linguistic ability and early language exposure. Nature, 417(6884), 38. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1038/417038a
I resonated a lot with your post as I am also bilingual. Spanish was my first language and I learned english when I was about 5 or 6 years old. One thing that your article brings up is the ability to manage conflict better than those who only speak one language, this brought me to think about my own experiences. I have often been faced with translating for my parents and for those who do not speak one of the languages that I can speak. This in turn has often put me in situations where I was a translator or mediator. I unfortunately could not find an article supporting this idea but it may be that the experiences that a bilingual person goes through could also have an effect. What do you think?
ReplyDelete