Introduction
The ability to speak more than one language is looked upon with awe and admiration. With the advent of the internet, the world has become a small village, and there is interaction with people from different cultures with variant languages. More than half of the world’s population is bilingual and multilingual. Many of English speaking native countries are monolingual, the United States being one such country. In this case, monolingual are the minority. Many advantages attach to being bilingual; health, psychological, social and even economic benefits.
Benefits to the Brain
It is possible to distinguish between bilingual people from monolinguals by looking at their brain scans. Bilingual people have a significantly more gray matter in their anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (Gaia, 2016), which is part of the executive system because they use it more often than the monolinguals. Bilinguals are consistently exercising executive control because the two languages constantly compete for attention. Bilingualism improves significantly executive control (Bialystok, 2011) and a bilingual person can switch between the languages easily and have improved concentration. Improved executive control, therefore, leads to increased ability to concentrate, focus, mental flexibility and the ability to multitask.
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Health Benefits
In old age, bilingualism has proven to be very advantageous. Alzheimer sets in in old age, but the how fast the effects show depends on how many languages you speak. Bilinguals begin showing the symptoms four to five years after monolinguals with similar disease pathology. Being bilingual does not prevent against dementia but rather delays the effects. The reason for this is that being bilingual improves the executive system, boosting the cognitive reserve. Because using more than one language increases the gray matter, it becomes useful once parts of the brain succumb to damage offering alternative neural pathways. Another health advantage is that it provides protection against brain injury. Cognitive recovery is twice as likely in bilinguals who have had strokes than monolinguals.
Cognitive Advantages
People with the ability to speak more than one language have a better memory than those who can’t. Learning another language and being able to speak it requires lots and lots of remembering. When bilinguals are given tasks regarding memory, they score better than monolinguals (Paap, Sawi, Dalibar, Darrow, & Johnson, 2014). The reason for this is that the brain activity for them in the ACC is more. Memory is important not just as a cognitive skill but as a social skill as well. Interaction with others is improved because you remember their names and don’t forget important events such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Academic advantages
Children who are bilingual do better in school. The reason for this is that they have a higher cognitive brain function. Bilingualism improves concentration, focus, and esteem. The children engage better and are better at problem-solving, planning and other mentally demanding tasks. Bilinguals are often forced to shift between the languages; they are much quicker and better at multitasking which makes them do better in school (Mehisto & David, 2011). Human thoughts take place within the constraints of language, speaking more than one language widens this horizon and the ability to reason and find relationships between things in much higher because you can look at it from different angles.
Mental Fitness
Bilingualism facilitates mental fitness. The same way exercise boosts mental fitness; the brain muscle is improved when it is engaged more. Executive control is one way of mental fitness (Khan, 2011). Shifting between one language to the other and the suppression of the urge to use a second language while using the first is an act of mental exercise. Mental flexibility is better in bilinguals because of the constant shift between the languages.
Career Advantages
Globalization has made interaction among different cultures easier and better. The ability to speak more than one language increases employment prospects (Callahan & Gándara, 2014). Looking for jobs doesn’t have to be restricted to the region using the language you speak; the job market is much broader. Multinational companies serve multiple cultures and region and are often expanding into new territories. Such companies prefer employees who are bilingual because they can engage with ease with their multilingual clientele.
Being bilingual earns you more money. The amount of money varies depending on the language and the nature of the job itself. It increases your value as an employee, and because you can do much more than the monolinguals, overseas tasks, and others, you earn something extra for the extra language. With many companies seeking to expand their operations, the ability to speak several languages could pay off.
Social Benefits
Understanding and speaking another language fluently allows you into the mind and heart of another culture and its people. It opens an opportunity to understand the culture better and understand the way of life for such people (Heller, 2007). Language opens up many opportunities. It answers questions one may have and gives a whole new understanding. The world view is magnified, and you can look at things from different perspectives.
Knowing an extra language means you can speak with more people and interact freely with people. There are more people to speak to and engage in meaningful conversations with them. Language barrier becomes a thing of the past, and the numbers of engagements are more meaningful because the parties can engage meaningfully without limitations presented by language. It becomes easier to communicate with people whom it would have been impossible if you only know one language.
Language is the gateway to culture. Speaking multiple languages facilitates interaction with other cultures in a more meaningful way. Being able to engage with the locals, read literature and printed media, understand the television and radio programs and engage directly in the day to day life gives a clear view of culture which would be impossible. The experience introduces new concepts into your life which in turn adds depth to how you understand human experience. Life is wholesome.
For the traveling lovers, bilingualism makes the experience more wholesome and authentic. You will be able to engage directly with the people, order the right food and ask for directions when lost. The experience is more seamless and fun (Merrit, 2013). If the conversations are not superficial, you can connect with the locals and get more out of the trip because you will be interacting on a deeper level and getting to know the culture better, their music food and lifestyle in general.
People who are bilingual have a unique opportunity of feeling like a different person when speaking the different languages. For a person who speaks English and French, they experience the world as two different people. Thoughts occur within different language mindsets. For instance is such a person is asked in English what their favorite food is, they picture themselves in London maybe and think of the food that sticks out for them. If the same person is asked the same question in French, the answer may be different because then they can see themselves in Paris and remember the meal was mouthwatering while they were there.
An Everyday Advantage
Being multilingual, you are in the know on many occasions. It makes the experience easier, walking into your favorite Italian restaurant, or for people who are interested in foreign programs it is easier, and you have a chance to make friends every day from the numerous interactions you make with people who have similar interests as you. It is fun and comes with many advantages, and life is interesting every day.
Bilinguals in the United States
The United States is predominantly monolingual. The 2007 American Community Survey found that about 51 million inhabitants were bilingual which represents 18% of the population. This number has been on the rise since the nineteen eighties when it was around 11% and currently is at 20%. About 55% of the bilinguals in America speak Spanish, 17% French and around 10% German.
Many native English-speaking countries, including the United States, don’t see the need to learn another language other than English. The people coming into these countries are expected to learn English because it is the main language of communication. With the increase of immigrants in the recent past, there is the increase as well in the number of bilinguals because of the expectation to learn and speak English.
The numbers vary by region and also vary among the different age sets and educational background. The number of bilinguals in the United States decreases with advancement in age. The younger generation of Americans is more likely to speak a secondary language, and the percentages reduce with advancement in age. The percentage of postgraduates who are bilingual is almost double the number of high school graduates.
How other Countries Have done it
It is estimated that more than 60% of the world’s population speak at least two languages. Many countries in the world have more than one official language hence people can communicate in most of the languages. South Africa has 11 official languages; Zimbabwe has 16, a characteristic of many African countries. Africans speak the world languages as a second language in addition to their native languages, and thus many Africans are bilingual.
In a country such as India, a majority of the population is bilingual. At home, they use a different language, and at school, they are taught in a different language. Many countries also offer foreign language lessons at different levels of education and as such increase the number of bilinguals (del Puerto, 2011). Utah State has taken to immersion where two different languages are used to teach. In the morning hours, they are taught in a different language, and the afternoon they are taught in English. These are some of the strategies that have been adopted by other countries to encourage speaking more than one language.
Increasing American Bilingualism
Immersion has been suggested as one format of increasing bilingualism in America. This method proposes the use of the languages to teach subject matter as opposed to the language itself with the aim of improving proficiency in the two languages. The second language is used as a medium of instruction. It is a well-planned program that goes beyond the use of a second language for instruction. If utilized properly, it can increase the number of bilingual speakers within a country. The United States should adopt immersion because it guarantees results. The students will want to understand the rules of the language in to get the most out of the education system.
The programs that offer foreign language as a subject should diversify the pool of languages. Many Americans who are bilingual speak Spanish as a second language. The school programs should offer other languages such as Mandarin, French, and German creating a larger pool of foreign language. The diversity will encourage people to choose from a variety of languages which increases the number of people who know a secondary language.
Educating people on the advantages of bilingualism is also a way of getting people to understand the importance of knowing a second language. Many people may feel because they know and speak fluent English they can go anywhere in the world and fit. Creating an understanding of studying a second language will get people to push themselves to know a second language. If it comes as a personal decision rather than an imposition, people will embrace the idea and push themselves.
Conclusion
With the globalization of the world economy and the increased ease of movement, there is increased interaction between people from varied cultures. Learning a second language is not a burden, it opens up very many opportunities for career development and even for engaging in meaningful interactions. The benefits are countless and require little sacrifice to get there. To get the health benefits, it is not enough to know the language, using the language as often as possible is essential. Monolingualism disadvantages many Americans. They are not able to compete in the global market. It also compromises the health and safety of the growing American Society.
References
Bialystok, E. (2011). Reshaping the mind: The benefits of bilingualism. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale, 65(4) , 229.
Callahan, R. M., & Gándara, P. C. (2014). The bilingual advantage: Language, literacy and the US labor market . Multilingual Matters.
del Puerto, F. G. (2011). Content and foreign language integrated learning: Contributions to multilingualism in European contexts . Peter Lang.
Gaia, V. (2016, August 12). BBC. Retrieved from BBC website: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160811-the-amazing-benefits-of-being-bilingual
Heller, M. (2007). Bilingualism: A social approach. Springer.
Khan, A. (2011). Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say. Los Angeles Times .
Mehisto, P., & David, M. (2011). Mehisto, P., & Marsh, D. (2011). Approaching the economic, cognitive and health benefits of bilingualism: Fuel for CLIL. Linguistics Insights. Content and Foreign Language Integrated Learning , 21-48.
Merrit, A. (2013). Why learn a foreign languages? Benefits of bilingualism. The Daily Telegraph 19 .
Paap, K. R., Sawi, O. M., Dalibar, C., Darrow, J., & Johnson, H. A. (2014). The brain mechanisms underlying the cognitive benefits of bilingualism may be extraordinarily difficult to discover. AIMS Neuroscience, 1(3) , 245-256.
