Bilingualism\'s Effects on Children in 1989, Howard

Bilingualism's Effects On Children

In 1989, Howard Gardner first proposed the theory of multiple intelligences. His theory posits that every human being is equipped with several kinds of intelligence that are interdependent. He developed his theory as a way to improve and challenge current practices in many fields, including education, child development, and even neuroscience. One of the intelligences he proposes is that of linguistic intelligence. To be able to learn and master a language is a specific form of intelligence that is valuable and vital personally and professionally in the 21st century. Parents and other kinds of alternative families around the world are growing in their awareness in the challenges and benefits of raising children in a bilingual environment and even in multilingual environments. This paper will consider the affects of raising children as bilingual with specific attention to how bilingualism affects areas such as learning, language acquisition, identity, and cultural participation. Raising children as bilingual is a multifaceted endeavor that when done well, should prove to serve the children extremely well in the long and short-term, in various aspects of their lives.

There are a number of advantages to raising a child as bilingual. One of the more prominent benefits of raising a child bilingual is that the child will be relatively more intelligent than his/her monolingual counterparts. Bhattacharjee of The New York Times concurs as he contends that speaking more than one language has intensely obvious and practical benefits in a world that is increasingly globalized. (2012) He notes the differences in the scientific research from prior decades (and centuries) to the research and conclusions of scientists regarding bilingualism in the 21st century. More than the ability to conduct conversations with a wider range of people, bilinguals have a higher intelligence relative to their monolingual counterparts. One of the benefits of bilingualism is that bilinguals are just plain smarter. Bilinguals have improved cognitive functioning that are and are not relative to language. (Bhattacharjee, 2012) Bilingualism develops parts of the brains that protect against mental health deterioration, specifically dementia as bilinguals grow elderly. (Bhattacharjee, 2012)

The process may occur at any stage of human development, as there are obviously plenty of cases where adolescents and adults of all ages demonstrate they have the ability to acquire a new language rather than their native ones. Yet, while the process of raising a child as fully and functionally bilingual is not a simple, or quick task, the task is much less difficult relatively when the parents or caregivers begin the bilingual process at the earliest age possible. Teaching children to be bilingual is easily and more effective when done so before and as they are learning to read. Learning the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of a language is not enough to be qualified as bilingual. Language is a living entity that moves and changes, and really, is in a constant state of flux for a number of reasons, many of which could be traced back to the fact that language is a fundamental component of culture.

Culture is something that changes with time and does not remain in stasis; thus, language, as a pillar in culture, changes with time, too. Consider English as an example. It is not one of the oldest languages in the history of humanity, yet in the 21st century, it is one of the most widely spoken, read, and used languages in the world because of the changes the world has seen since its inception. Old English is distinctively different than Middle English, which is again, distinctive from Modern English. Therefore, to teach a child to be bilingual is just more than teaching the child a language. That is a superficial, though at the same critical aspect to bilingualism.

There is nothing wrong with bringing children up bilingually. For the sake of clarity, it's good to be consistent about who speaks which language when. It is also important that the children have enough exposure to the languages through reading and listening to be able to, for example, communicate with family abroad or speak to people their own age outside the home. (Decraene, 2012, "Bringing up bilingual children")

The child must have the language skills and must additionally be fluent and literate in the history, culture, as well as social context in which the language originates or is spoken. Meaning, with English as an example, it is not enough for parents to supply the child with instruction in the English language; wherever the child is going to speak English, the child must know the culture of that place. American English and American culture is very different, though related to, British English and British culture, or Australian English and Australian culture. These are all countries and cultures where English is the native language, but all of the cultures are very different. A bilingual child who has fluency and literacy in English will certainly function in countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Australia, but the child would have a far more in-depth and meaningful experiences within these countries if the child had literacy and fluency in the cultures of these countries as well.

Bilingualism affords many advantages, including a great number of opportunities to participate in other cultures in very meaningful and non-superficial ways. Cultural participation and fluency is crucial to the full meaning of being bilingual. Language and culture are closely tied together in theory and in practice; thus to be bilingual is more than language fluency; it is cultural fluency and participation. Another advantage of bilingualism is the ability to focus on tasks at hand, the ability to be decisive, and the ability to exercise or improve executive function.

According to several different studies, command of two or more languages bolsters the ability to focus in the face of distraction, decide between competing alternatives, and disregard irrelevant information. These essential skills are grouped together, known in brain terms as "executive function." The research suggests they develop ahead of time in bilingual children, and are already evident in kids as young as 3 or 4. (The Daily Beast, 2011, "Why It's Smart to be Bilingual")

Speaking from personal experience, I was once a teaching assistant at a Japanese-English bilingual preschool. There were many unique and valuable aspects to that position as it relates to me personally, professionally, and academically. One unique aspect of the school is that out of all of the students, only one young boy was fully Japanese. All of the other students had Japanese mothers and non-Japanese fathers, with great cultural variation. Overall, for the students, Japanese was the primary language of the children, but there were several children who were already very bilingual by ages 2 and 3, and there were even a few children who were tri-lingual. One girl had a Japanese mother, Colombian father, knowing English from school and Japanese and Spanish from her home life. There was another girl whose father was Italian (first generation immigrant) and whose mother was Japanese; Luna was fully trilingual.

There were many differences and advantages that were readily apparent in the children who were bilingual and trilingual over the students who were more monolingual, whether it was Japanese or English. Through this particular work experience, I was able to see how the above quotation proved true in real life, within the context of education. The children maintained a surprising level of focus for their age group, part of which should be attributed to their bilingualism. Not only could the young students maintain attention, we saw a high rate in task independent task completion. More students were more likely to complete a task themselves from start to finish.

While some of these traits can be attributed to individual personality and home environment, as the quote implies, some of there demonstrable skills should also be attributed to bilingualism. Besides these traits, I and the other teachers observed that many of the students exhibited abilities related to executive function that were present within them at earlier ages than their monolingual counterparts. This work experience made it very apparent to me the amazing benefits of raising children bilingual.

Early childhood is probably the best and most ideal time for parents and caregivers to initiate the bilingual process. In early childhood, the absorption rate for information is exceptionally high as many aspects of the psyche and personality are forming. It is a great stage to learn many things, especially languages. With reference to the aforementioned work experience at the Japanese preschool, it was particularly advantageous to be teaching the children English as they were acquiring literacy skills.

The process of language mirroring was easier, and by language mirroring, the paper means that the children would have an easier time switching back and forth in vocabulary and syntax at their young age and stage of development. They could switch back and forth between "red" and "akai" with great ease, because to them, all the words were new. They did not have to, as opposed to second language learners later in life, have to combat the syntactical instincts of their native language.

To a certain extent, very young children have no native language and any or all languages have the potential to be their native languages. The children at the preschool could also bounce back and forth easily between "This is a book" and "Kore wa hon o desu." We were teaching them how to speak (read and write) English as well as how to speak (read and write) Japanese. We also taught them how to think in Japanese and English. We also taught them Japanese and American customs and cultural practices. This is a holistic approach to bilingualism. Early Childhood News (2012) agrees that one of the most important ways parents can do to truly teach their children to be bilingual is to expose the children to both languages systematically. Exposure to both languages in a systematic manner ensures that the children will not experience extreme changes in their language environment. Consistent and systematic exposure to both languages is necessary for the child to develop fully bilingual. When there is inconsistency in language exposure, the children's linguistic development will be disrupted or stagnated. (Earlychildhood News, 2012) Parents and caregivers that intend to raise their children bilingual must do so in a dynamic and multifaceted away in order for the bilingualism to truly take hold. The approach to bilingualism must clearly extend beyond simple language acquisition. Not only should the approach to teaching and raising bilingualism be done so in a thorough and rich manner, it must also be done so in a consistent manner or else the potential for the children to lose their skills increases a great deal. Inconsistency may additionally confuse the child and cause development or speech disruptions. This is one of many reasons why the paper contends that bilingualism goes far beyond language and should be taught in a holistic, systematic manner.

This approach will benefit the children in so many ways. We these bilingual Japanese children as an example, they will be able to blend in as Americans and as Japanese. They will be able to study, live, and work in English speaking environments and Japanese speaking environments. The grammar of a language has be researched and proven to influence a person's perspective and attitude regarding life and the nature of the universe. People who know more than one language then are more vulnerable or susceptible to have experiences that expand and develop their consciousnesses as a result of their bi- or multilingualism.

Bilingual people are more likely then to approach a situation or a problem from more (quantity) and more dynamic approaches than their monolingual counterparts as a result of their variations and diversity in approach to thought, decision making, and conflict resolution that comes with learning multiple languages. A bilingual author of The New York Times agrees with and argues this point home as she writes about the research that proclaims being bilingual affects the methods of her thinking. (de Lange, 2012) de Lange (2012) writes of how learning more than one language has shown her, over time, that the syntax and grammar differences in the languages profoundly influences the construction of her thoughts as well as speech. Yet, cognitive enhancement is the beginning of the benefits for de Lange. She references studies that imply that bilingualism influences memories, values, and personality traits. (The New York Times, 2012) All of these things and more change based on the language a person is speaking. Grammar and syntax often affect one's perspective on the world as well as how that person thinks. It is as if for each language, there is a mind that corresponds to that language specifically; thus, bilingual people have two minds. de Lange feels that the concept of a mind per language furthermore underscores the fundamental connection of language to thought. (2012) The language(s) one learns as a child influences the way one structures one's thoughts in addition to the ways in which one structures and approaches the world. Diversity in language learning increases the chances that a person will have the ability to think in many different ways, likely "outside of the box," and will be able to see a situation, condition, or circumstance from a greater variety of perspectives. The ability to think different and solve problems with innovative thinking is an extremely productive and profitable coping mechanism, one of many of the side effects of children who are raised bilingual.

Another author from The New York Times contends that the potential confusion or disruption in development in raising a bilingual child is a challenge that proves to benefit the child a great deal in the end, particularly with respect to problem solving using by employing a variety of approaches as a result of second language acquisition:

…there is ample evidence that in a bilingual's brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system obstructs the other. But this interference, researchers are finding out, isn't so much a handicap as a blessing in disguise. It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles. Bilinguals, for instance, seem to be more adept than monolinguals at solving certain kinds of mental puzzles. (Bhattacharjee, 2012, "Why Bilinguals are Smarter")

The consensus once was that raising bilingual children was counterproductive and damaging. Times and attitudes have changed regarding this subject. The incidences in bilingualism that were once perceived as obstacles are now seen as steps in part of the process in intellectual and psychological development that is directly influenced by bilingualism. The challenges and once perceived obstacles have known shown that they improve the mind across dimensions of problem solving and decision making. Bilinguals have more reference points and a greater array of approaches to a situation than their monolingual counterparts, as implied by the above quotation.

Additional language (and cultural) acquisition should prime bilinguals to develop other forms of intelligence such as musical intelligence, and interpersonal intelligence or emotional intelligence. It is easier to learn a language to a musical tune rather than in a normative language class. This is why, for example, the ABC's is a song that helps children learn the letters of the English alphabet. Though this author only retains a superficial knowledge in this language, there is research that shows how native speakers of Chinese learn their language in very close conjunction with learning music. Playing, enjoying, and interpreting music is whole another specialty and skill that bilingual and multilingual children are more likely to engage with and at higher or deeper levels than that of their monolingual counterparts.

The act of learning a language does not guarantee entrance into the target culture and does not guarantee meaningful participation in the target culture. When considering this point within the context of education, there is much to consider. More and more high schools and universities in the United States for example, have foreign exchange programs around the world. The world has also become a bit smaller and more connected because of advancements in communication technologies and social media. Therefore, it is more likely that students will have international experiences as part of their education and that they are more likely to have international experiences as part of their professional endeavors.

Students and professionals are much more likely to communicate internationally because of the changes in education, the global economy, the professional landscape, and advances in technology. Learning a language is an asset and in many cases a necessity for those who plan to have professional careers. Learning a language, even for business reasons, is not a simple or straight forward process. Meaning, it is not a simple equation like 1 + 1 = 2. Language plus a user does not equal participation in the target culture. For a user to enter and participate in a culture, the user must learn the language, and the culture as a part of a strategy to gain communicative competence. Learning a language, gaining communicative competence, and meaningful cultural participation are all connected.