The Effects of Bilingualism on Language Development Essay

The effects of bilingualism on language development in children are examined. Theories suggest that bilingual children are able to learn a second language after the first is mastered. One of the reasons behind this is that the child has already developed the nonverbal concept of the word (because the child is already using it in the primary language), so only the verbal concept must be constructed. It has been shown that balanced bilinguals are more cognitively and linguistically flexible. However, unbalanced bilinguals generally show mixed results. Introduction Impact of Bilingualism In California, bilingualism is a big issue. Most people in California are not bilingual, but there is a large minority that does speak a second†¦show more content†¦Apparently, if the child is able to use both languages interchangeably, then they are considerably more flexible in their cognitive processes. These balanced bilinguals as they are called, are significantly more skilled at comprehending different syntactical structures. On the other hand, what if a child does not lend equal weight to both languages and tends to rely on one more than the other (unbalanced bilingualism)? Evidence suggests that even though the limited knowledge of the weaker language may help, the child usually experiences some sort of detrimental social reactions. For instance, if the child is primarily a Spanish-speaker and English is the weaker language, then they tend to be looked down upon (Pease-Alvarez, as cited in Seifert, Hoffnung, Hoffnung, 1997). Because English holds more prestige in our society, people generally discredit those who do not speak it as well. However, even if the child only has some knowledge of the second language, in some circumstances (most often if English is the primary language and Spanish or another language is the secondary), it can also carry more prestige. The sword swings both ways on this issue, but for the most part it cannot do any real harm to the child. Learning a Second Language Another question is if a child already knows one language, is it easier to teach a second, or is it easier if the child learns them simultaneously? According to one study, children who areShow MoreRelatedBilingualism And Bilingualism1307 Words   |  6 Pagessurvey, 56% of respondents said they could speak a language other than their mother tongue. In many countries, the proportion of bilinguals is much higher. For example, 99% of Luxembourg and 95% of Latvian populations speak more than one language. Even in the United States, where English is pre-dominantly used as a single language, a large number of people using non-English languages at home have increased by 140% since 1980. 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