Sabrina Chang
Edwards (2004: 7) states that “Everyone is bilingual….there is no one in the world (no adult, anyway) who does not know at least a few words in languages other than their maternal variety.” Why do people strive to become bilinguals in present days? In Asian countries, parents tend to let their children learn English as early as they can. They do not want their children to fall behind others due to the lack of language learning experiences. So, I want to talk about the benefits of being bilingual.
If you happen to speak some terms in other languages, chances are, you belong to the world’s bilingual and multilingual majority. Being a bilingual has several benefits. First, being a bilingual means you can travel more easily. You might encounter some challenges or problems while travelling which can be solved by communicating with others. Second, by being bilingual, your brain will be healthier than those who are monolingual. In the video that I have posted below, it states that being multilingual gives your brain some remarkable advantages. It can also help delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia by as much as five years. Moreover, getting to know various languages can broaden your horizons by making you more open-minded. When we learn a language, we would also learn about the country’s culture and customs which is highly beneficial if we are heading to that country in the future. Last but not least, the advantage of being a bilingual also includes other benefits for brains. It reinforces the executive function, problem solving ability, and the function of switching between tasks of the brain. Even if you didn’t learn a second language at a young age, it is never too late to learn a language in this modern world.
For me, being a bilingual indeed brings a lot of advantages to my life. Since I was little, I was immersed in a bilingual environment. Learning a language is not a difficult task when it happens at a young age which is related to the critical period. I admit that being a bilingual increases my self-esteem and the confidence of communicating with others. We cannot deny that learning an L2 in the critical period is the best situation due to the flexibility of children’s brains, so that’s why parents are trying to let children become bilinguals as soon as they can. Therefore, I definitely agree with having children learn an L2 at a young age. Do you agree with the benefits that I have mentioned above? What is your language learning experience? Please share your thoughts with me!
References:
Nicholas, H., & Starks, D. (2014). Language education and applied linguistics: Bridging the two fields. New York: Routledge.
