Bilinguism
Is bilingualism good for the brain?
Both languages of the bilingual have an influence on the function of the other, and also on the cognitive function outside the language. In the past the view was that being bilingual detracted from ones abilities; that they would have stunted vocabularies and cognitive abilities, whereas since Peal and Lambert published a study in 1962, it is now believed that it adds to the individuals abilities.
A bilingual is an individual that is exposed to two languages simultaneously from a young age; however this definition varies depending on the studies.
The benefits of being able to speak two languages are more than simply being able to speak two languages. It requires the child to think in different and complicated ways, due to the differences in the rules and structures. It gives the child a greater awareness of the language and metalinguistic awareness (language and its relationship to culture and society.)
Ellen Bialystok, University of Toronto, argues that this metalinguistic awareness also increases the bilingual’s control of linguistic processes, such as detecting grammar or syntactic errors. She makes the distinction between two types of processing that aid children in language development, analysis: the ability to represent and understand abstract information, and control: the ability to selectively attend to the specific aspects of structures whilst ignoring irrelevant information. It is the aspect of control that bilinguals have the advantage over their monolingual peers when it comes to cognitive features.
Ellen Bialystok also argued that bilinguals have an advantage of better control of attention and better processing and functioning abilities in cognitive tasks. They also have a greater ability to attend or inhibit irrelevant information. Due to these benefits, bilingualism has been linked to slowing age related cognitive decline, as it could provide the cognitive reserve that delays the onset of signs of
Both languages of the bilingual have an influence on the function of the other, and also on the cognitive function outside the language. In the past the view was that being bilingual detracted from ones abilities; that they would have stunted vocabularies and cognitive abilities, whereas since Peal and Lambert published a study in 1962, it is now believed that it adds to the individuals abilities.
A bilingual is an individual that is exposed to two languages simultaneously from a young age; however this definition varies depending on the studies.
The benefits of being able to speak two languages are more than simply being able to speak two languages. It requires the child to think in different and complicated ways, due to the differences in the rules and structures. It gives the child a greater awareness of the language and metalinguistic awareness (language and its relationship to culture and society.)
Ellen Bialystok, University of Toronto, argues that this metalinguistic awareness also increases the bilingual’s control of linguistic processes, such as detecting grammar or syntactic errors. She makes the distinction between two types of processing that aid children in language development, analysis: the ability to represent and understand abstract information, and control: the ability to selectively attend to the specific aspects of structures whilst ignoring irrelevant information. It is the aspect of control that bilinguals have the advantage over their monolingual peers when it comes to cognitive features.
Ellen Bialystok also argued that bilinguals have an advantage of better control of attention and better processing and functioning abilities in cognitive tasks. They also have a greater ability to attend or inhibit irrelevant information. Due to these benefits, bilingualism has been linked to slowing age related cognitive decline, as it could provide the cognitive reserve that delays the onset of signs of