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Being A Bilingual Person Essay

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Bilingual is defined, according to Webster’s dictionary, as ‘having or using two languages especially as spoken with the fluency characteristics of a native speaker; a person using two languages especially habitually and with control like that of a native speaker’ and bilingualism as ‘the constant oral use of two languages’. Therefore, being a bilingual person means you are able to communicate in two languages and not only that. Anna Wierzbicka claims in her article that “A point which seems to me particularly important is that experience of bilingual people should not be construed as merely their experience of speaking two languages but rather as their experience of living with other people through two different languages”. Knowing two languages, at least, gives you a better experience with a variety of people, especially if you know English or Chinese, which are the most important languages in the world. The author debates a “research into the interface of emotions and bilingualism promises to throw new light on wider issues of the relationship between …show more content…

Viorica Marian says in her article (‘The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual’) that “We are surrounded by language during nearly every waking moment of our lives. We use language to communicate our thoughts and feelings, to connect with others and identify with our culture, and to understand the world around us”. I believe you act and think in a way in one language and some other way in the other one. For my generation it’s easier to think in English because we are being surrounded by this language everywhere we go: music, movies, books and so many others. Also, it’s easier to express something in English because there are no expressions alike in our actual language. English is really a language of communication and it is ideal for

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However, in order for one to truly understand the arguments made by the authors they must also understand the context behind these arguments; therefore, knowing how the individual authors’ definition of bilingualism lets the reader truly absorb what points they’re trying to make and why. In Espada’s essay, he defines bilingualism as a way for a person to remain in contact with their different cultural identities. There are many areas in the essay where the reader could interpret this definition from. However, the most significant piece of evidence appears at the beginning of the essay where Espada mentions his friend Jack Agueros’ analogy to describe his bilingualism “English and Spanish are like two dogs I love. English is an obedient dog.

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My personal experience being multilingual is that i am able to freely express myself in words or phrases that come natural to me. Being able to speak Vietnamese, English, and French with ease while using some commonly known phrases from the Japanese language. Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez, two authors that speak Spanish and English have different standpoints on the subject of bilingualism. In Martin Espada’s essay “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” explains the need to maintain cultural identity through bilingualism, while in Richard Rodriguez’s exert “Hunger of Memory” depicts the necessity of becoming bilingual to be able to function well in society. “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” by Martin Espada explores

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I am not white, but I am not Mexican either. I am, however, a first generation Mexican American with parents from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Perhaps I do not know what it is like to cross the border that refrains me from being Mexican, or the color of my skin that refrains me from being white, but my own personal experiences make me the Mexican American that I am today. Growing up I celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, and the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe with matlachines.

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Being Hispanic has taught me a whole world of things. It has taught me that the world is not what you expect it to be. Going to a public school and being th minority is completely different than going to a see my cousins where every thing is different. The way we talk, the food we eat. Its all different.

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One of the toughest adjustments, having been born to Mexican parents, is migrating to an unknown country where traditions and languages differ from one 's own. Though many pursue an education and strive for a better life, the purpose behind an immigrant, like myself, differs from the typical American. Immigrants strive for a life that was once impossible, going to school is not only to attain an education, but to better prove that we can also become successful regardless of our traditions and skin color. I lived in a country for over fifteen years, fearing deportation, not only losing a home, but potentially saying goodbye to a bright future. Although many feel empathy for Mexican-Americans, it is undeniably difficult to truly comprehend the immense trauma children and even adults undergo  upon experiencing racism and prejudice.

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There are different types of bilingualism and these different types come into play when looking at specific advantages. For example, some bilinguals have two languages that are similar in form while others have two languages with two very different forms. However, no matter the similarity of the two languages, bilinguals are constantly dealing with the competition of the two languages in their head during everyday tasks, something that monolinguals never have to deal with and therefore do not possess the same strength of cognitive control in that

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The definition of bilingual in this context does not apply. According to Merriam Webster's dictionary, being bilingual means being proficient in two languages.

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In addition, according to Franson (2009), defining bilingualism is problematic since individuals with varying bilingual characteristics may be classified as bilingual. Even if people can talk with a native speaker in English fluently in their daily lives, there are some people who cannot speak about specific topics. For example, politics or economics. While the meaning of “bilingual”

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Public schools As noted above, the federal government has provided a form of bilingual education for Indigenous students since the creation of the DGEI in 1978. While such programs are now known as “intercultural bilingual” education, they have only been able to provide students with a weak form of intercultural capacity at best and often have the opposite effect of alienating students by oppressing their native language and culture. This reinforcing of the hegemony of the Spanish language and European-descent, urban-centric culture is apparent in the non-participation of the local community, the way that teachers are selected and trained, and the use of language in the classroom. One of the most salient characteristics of the public education system is its highly centralized nature.

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Cristoph Harbsmeier is talkig about ‘the influence of language on thought, how we are influenced ... in our ways of being and of feeling by our language.” He is also interested into the relationship between multilingualism and emotions as the bilingualism took a very important place in many people’s lives, imposing itself as society had suffered some changes in time. As François Grosjean says in Life with Two Languages . An Introduction to Bilingualism:”bilingualism is present in practically every country of the world, in all classes of society, and in all age groups.” (François Grosjean, Life with Two Languages .An

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Being bilingual has got many advantages. It has been debated that bilingualism has multiple advantages such as cognitive, cultural, academic benefits as well. Cognitive benefit reveals that being bilingual help to facilitate human brain. People who are bilingual have two language systems which are working simultaneously. These systems don’t create hindrance in individual’s performance and ensure brain’s functioning of both cognitive aspects (Bialystok, 1999).

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Many language researchers agree with this. Speaking multiple languages help to communicate with other people around us and bilingualism give distinct benefits to the developing brain and more flexible thinking than monolingual. However, the importance of bilingualism in the world was not widely recognized. In the past some language

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Who are we? What forms one's identity? Language is a important element of culture and culture is known to be crucial definer of one's identity. Language connects people to a certain identity and allows them to communicate their ideas and values to themselves and the world... In other words language is important as it allows people to express their thoughts as well as beliefs.

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Learning a second language at a younger age is beneficial Most little kids first day of school is when they are approximately five years old, and about to enter kindergarten. Kids go to school from about age five till graduation from high school at about age eighteen. Most schools focus on the basic core subjects, such as math, reading, science and history. Until junior high or high school, foreign language is not even offered.

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The notion of bilingualism is frequently connected to the idea of code-switching since a person should have ability to speak using two or more than one variety. Researchers have made countless studies describing bilingualism as they create awareness in different ways. To begin with is Bloomfield (1933) who defined bilingualism as having the “native- like control of two languages”. However, Haugen (1953) pinpointed that bilingualism is the ability of a speaker to communicate and understand an additional variety. This is to mean that the concept of bilingualism exist only when an individual of a certain variety has the capability to communicate effectively in an additional variety.

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