BILINGUALISM IN ESL CLASSROOM

Simply put, bilingualism is that the ability to use two languages. However, defining
bilingualism is problematic since individuals with varying bilingual characteristics are also
may be classified as bilinguals. Clément, R. (2015) denotes that definitions of bilingualism
range from a minimal proficiency in two languages, to a sophisticated level of proficiency
which allows the speaker to function and appear as a native-like speaker of two languages.
A person may be bilingual by virtue of having grown up learning and using two languages
simultaneously. To be bilingual means different things to different people. Bilinguals can use
both languages equally effectively and readily pass for native speakers of either (Cook. V.
2016). Bilingualism encompasses a spread of proficiencies and contexts. A young boy
entering school may be called bilingual but it may be that he uses his first language for
domestic and familial purposes and that English is his preferred language for communication
outside the home. Besides that, he could be largely monolingual in his first language only
when he starts school. In terms of competence, a bilingual may have very high levels of
proficiency in both languages or may have only limited proficiency in one and be way more
proficient in the other.

Therefore, Valian (2015) states that bilingualism consists of many types of concepts. One of
it is known as balanced bilingualism and dominant bilingualism. Balanced bilingualism has a
range of meanings for different writers (Treffers-Daller, J., 2015). A balanced bilingual is an
individual who has native-like competence in both languages. More frequently, however, the
term is used to refer to an individual who has roughly equal ability in both languages. This
would mean that someone whose performance was imperfect in both languages would still
be a balanced bilingual if his/her skills in each language were about the same. On the other
hand, most bilinguals are usually dominant in one language or the other, although they may
not be dominant in the same language in all areas (Treffers-Daller, J., 2015). This is known
as dominant bilingualism. Often, there are domains of language use in which people use
only one of their two languages. For example, a Tamil-English bilingual in pupil may use only
English at school, but would normally use Tamil language at home or with friends. As a
result, this child would have a more developed vocabulary for school in English and a more
developed vocabulary for domestic activities in Tamil. This child could speak better about
school in English and able to talk better about cooking in Tamil.
Although, most speakers are known as a dominant bilingual but many L2 learners rely on
their mother tongue while they try to improve their skills using the new language. Therefore,
many of them continue to have mother tongue interference when trying to master the four
primary language skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing in English language
(Ganuza, N., & Hedman, C., 2019). Based on that, they may face issue such as mother
tongue interference while pronouncing English words incorrectly. For example, Chinese
English learners will confront inequality while they attempt to learn English language.
Although, they are balanced or dominant bilingual, they still tend to have obstacles in
pronouncing English words due to their mother tongue interference.

Plus, their mother tongue can hinder their English learning process. For example, they may
not be able to pronounce English words as correctly as native speakers, and when they
communicate, fluency is one of their biggest challenges. Therefore, they may feel
embarrassed. This embarrassment may contribute to their language acquisition difficulties,
as they may either fossilize or in some case may stop attempting to learn English language.
Many researchers suggest that the learner’s first language impacts the pronunciation of the
L2 and cause foreign accents (Saville-Troike, M. & Barto, K., 2016). Interference from the
mother tongue is a substantial factor in accounting for mistakes in aspiration, stress, and
intonation in the target language. Therefore, Chinese English learners are less likely to
pronounce English sounds correctly because their similar Chinese sounds influence a lot.
For example, Chinese English learners tend to make mistakes in pronouncing /r/ and /l/ as
they do not have the syllable /r/ in the mother tongue. Due to this, they tend to
mispronounce /r/ and /l/ when speaking in English. The ability to communicate effectively in
English exemplifies the correctness of pronunciation and intonation and directly affects the
appropriate communication in conversation (Liang, D., 2015).

Moreover, language involves interaction with others. Psychological factors play an

important role in a learner´s success in acquiring and using a second language. A learner is
simultaneously an individual and a member of a group (Oliver, R. & Azkarai, A., 2017). As
an individual, a person carries character traits that enable him/her to function in different
ways and deal with situations in a unique and personal style. These individual factors
influents second language acquisition as much as does the nature of the target language
itself. Not only that, motivation is also one of the psychological factors that affect second
language acquisition. The motivation that one has is the impulse, emotion or desire that
causes an individual to acquire a new language (Anjomshoa, L., & Sadighi, F., 2015).
Motivation also triggers the need to acquire a new language for a specific purpose as it is
the key for learning. Therefore, dominant bilinguals may want to have the motivation in
themselves to acquire the language as how balanced bilinguals acquire it. Through this,
dominant bilinguals would be able to master one or two languages easily.

On the other hand, instructional factors in acquiring a language also play a vital role in
affecting second language acquisition. One of the instructional factors is the content
delivery of the teacher in the classroom. What a teacher does in the classroom has the
greatest impact on learning and acquiring a second language for an individual (Freeman,
D., 2016). For example, the daily routines, level of lesson preparation, expectations for
pupils, mastery over content and modification of instruction are vital for a teacher to
consider in teaching a second language. Thus, teachers have to play an important role by
providing dominant bilinguals in the classroom through extra attention and exercise such as
vocabulary lessons, round robin. This would help them to overcome their differences with
balanced bilinguals and would be able to improve their acquisition of the second language.

In a nutshell, second language acquisition includes an understanding of what language is,

what learning is, and what teaching is. Likewise, knowledge of young learners’ learning of
their first language provides essential insights to an understanding of second language and
its implication to language curriculum and teaching. Though, different concepts of
bilingualism have focused on different aspects of SLA, they still tend to comprehend the
learning of a new language. Therefore, through systematic concepts of SLA is necessary to
address issue such as mother tongue interference among non-native speakers that may
provide informed decision in the pedagogical aspect of learning a second language.
REFERENCES

Anjomshoa, L., & Sadighi, F. (2015). The importance of motivation in second language
acquisition. International Journal on Studies in English Language and
Literature (IJSELL), 3(2), 126-137.

Clément, R. (2015). Bilingualism and Multilingualism. The Concise Encyclopedia

of Communication, 1-6.

Cook, V. (2016). Second language learning and language teaching. Routledge.

Freeman, D. (2016). Educating second language teachers. Oxford University Press.

Ganuza, N., & Hedman, C. (2019). The impact of mother tongue instruction on the
development of biliteracy: Evidence from Somali–Swedish bilinguals.
Applied Linguistics, 40(1), 108-131.

Liang, D. (2015). Chinese learners' pronunciation problems and listening difficulties in

English connected speech. Asian Social Science, 11(16), 98.

Saville-Troike, M., & Barto, K. (2016). Introducing second language acquisition. Cambridge
University Press.

Treffers-Daller, J. (2015). The construct of language dominance, its operationalization and

measurement.

Valian, V. (2015). Bilingualism and cognition. Bilingualism, 18(1), 3.