The Benefits!
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As you have seen in the video, being bilingual has its benefits. We will begin with the benefits to the brain.
BRAIN BENEFITS
Bilingualism promotes cognitive thinking by strengthening the brain, like exercise to the body, in the part called "command center". Bilinguals become better at problem solving and abstract thinking, hence, increasing intelligence. It is true that speaking two languages can create interference, but this "...isn't so much as a handicap but a blessing in disguise." (Bhattacharjee) More details in this information click here.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Incredibly, being able to speak another language has health benefits. Recently, an experiment led by neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the University of San Diego, California "...found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism — measured through a comparative evaluation of proficiency in each language — were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset." (Bhattacharjee).
ACADEMIC BENEFITS
The benefits of bilingualism academically has made it the most studied aspect. Because bilingualism can increase cognitive thinking, studies have been made in order to examine if this increase can help children to achieve higher scores in academic tests, and if so, perhaps bilingual education is an effective resource for students. 2,009 third, fourth, and fifth graders from Chicago were tested and “the effects of bilingual education on reading and math achievement were examined by comparing test scores across different elementary school programs” (Viorica 167). This test aimed to examine the effect of two-way immersion (TWI) bilingual education (this system of education teaches all students two main languages in school. In Arizona, this is mainly Spanish and English) on both minority and majority students in English-mainstream classrooms. Their hypothesis states that minority students in the TWI would out perform their peers from transitional classrooms, and majority students would outperform their peers from the transitional classroom in the TWI. Both group were tested in their ability with English and Math. At the end, results were examined and as predicted, minority students in TWI generally did better in the both English and Math standardized tests than their peers from transitional classrooms. Majority students also outperformed their peers from transitional classrooms (Viorica 167-170). More details of the test can be found in the tab "Helpful Links" or by clicking here.
BUSINESS OR PROFESSIONAL BENEFITS
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, with around 30 countries having it as their official language. The first is Mandarin, and English being at 3rd place, with only 5% of the world population using it as their native language. The most important and most used languages in businesses are Spanish, German, and French. Although English is still used, many companies seek people who fluently speak those 3 languages. By learning a new language, there is a potential to take yourself and your business to a global scale and to target a wider audience for your product. People who speak more than one language tend to be paid more and have a higher opportunity to obtain a higher paid position. Also, by being able to speak more than 1 language, you can stand out and hence, have a higher potential in obtaining a job. An article about this can be found by clicking here.
SOCIAL/PERSONAL BENEFITS
At the end of the day, it's just you who has to confront the challenges of life. When you learn a new language, it is not about just learning verb tenses or grammatical rules, but to learn about the culture of the language, its context, its life. Its human nature to be afraid of the unknown. Many of us and our brothers and sisters, have been rejected and discriminated by their skin color, their economic status, and even the language we speak. Learning about the people around the world can makes us more tolerable and understanding, hence bringing us closer to each other and possibly, eliminate our fears and prejudice towards them. However, the most rewarding part of learning a new language is the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends, which is always grandiose! And like these magnificent men said:
The limits of my language are the limits of my world.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
BRAIN BENEFITS
Bilingualism promotes cognitive thinking by strengthening the brain, like exercise to the body, in the part called "command center". Bilinguals become better at problem solving and abstract thinking, hence, increasing intelligence. It is true that speaking two languages can create interference, but this "...isn't so much as a handicap but a blessing in disguise." (Bhattacharjee) More details in this information click here.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Incredibly, being able to speak another language has health benefits. Recently, an experiment led by neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the University of San Diego, California "...found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism — measured through a comparative evaluation of proficiency in each language — were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset." (Bhattacharjee).
ACADEMIC BENEFITS
The benefits of bilingualism academically has made it the most studied aspect. Because bilingualism can increase cognitive thinking, studies have been made in order to examine if this increase can help children to achieve higher scores in academic tests, and if so, perhaps bilingual education is an effective resource for students. 2,009 third, fourth, and fifth graders from Chicago were tested and “the effects of bilingual education on reading and math achievement were examined by comparing test scores across different elementary school programs” (Viorica 167). This test aimed to examine the effect of two-way immersion (TWI) bilingual education (this system of education teaches all students two main languages in school. In Arizona, this is mainly Spanish and English) on both minority and majority students in English-mainstream classrooms. Their hypothesis states that minority students in the TWI would out perform their peers from transitional classrooms, and majority students would outperform their peers from the transitional classroom in the TWI. Both group were tested in their ability with English and Math. At the end, results were examined and as predicted, minority students in TWI generally did better in the both English and Math standardized tests than their peers from transitional classrooms. Majority students also outperformed their peers from transitional classrooms (Viorica 167-170). More details of the test can be found in the tab "Helpful Links" or by clicking here.
BUSINESS OR PROFESSIONAL BENEFITS
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, with around 30 countries having it as their official language. The first is Mandarin, and English being at 3rd place, with only 5% of the world population using it as their native language. The most important and most used languages in businesses are Spanish, German, and French. Although English is still used, many companies seek people who fluently speak those 3 languages. By learning a new language, there is a potential to take yourself and your business to a global scale and to target a wider audience for your product. People who speak more than one language tend to be paid more and have a higher opportunity to obtain a higher paid position. Also, by being able to speak more than 1 language, you can stand out and hence, have a higher potential in obtaining a job. An article about this can be found by clicking here.
SOCIAL/PERSONAL BENEFITS
At the end of the day, it's just you who has to confront the challenges of life. When you learn a new language, it is not about just learning verb tenses or grammatical rules, but to learn about the culture of the language, its context, its life. Its human nature to be afraid of the unknown. Many of us and our brothers and sisters, have been rejected and discriminated by their skin color, their economic status, and even the language we speak. Learning about the people around the world can makes us more tolerable and understanding, hence bringing us closer to each other and possibly, eliminate our fears and prejudice towards them. However, the most rewarding part of learning a new language is the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends, which is always grandiose! And like these magnificent men said:
The limits of my language are the limits of my world.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe