TUTE ® We lve in a world where approximately 65% of the global population speaks more than one language, and many countries, such as Spain, South Africa and Canada, even have multiple official languages. The experience of being bilingual or muttilingual forms a key aspect of many people's sense of heritage and identity 2 Multilingualism often reflects a rich multicultural heritage. For example, itis typical for people from South Africa to speak more than five languages. They may speak English and Afrikaans at school, but will be fluent in other languages, passed down from their parents or spoken by neighbours and friends such as Sotho, Xhosa, Zulu or Ndebele, Being monolingual in South Arica is not only unusual, but is also regarded as a social Gisadvantage. 3 People who are not exposed to their ful inguistic heritage often report feelings of s and separation. Dean Atta is a British poet whose grandparents moved to England from Cyprus. Dean's mother was born in England, and although his mother’s parents would speak toher in Cypriot Greek, she preferred to speak English Though his mother understands Greek, she does not consider herself fluent and didn't bring Dean up to be bilingual. Dean feels some sadness about this, which he expresses in his poetry. He feels frustration that he can't oin in conversations with his cousins, and believes that his family connections have suffered. Without an understanding of Greek, he has been denied full access to this part of his identity Pecnoermm False friends & cognates Find the words in the text. Which are cognates, and which are false friends? express (line 25) realize line 34) diverse (line 53) suffer(ine 27) introduce (line 46) influence (line 60) NEWS Eure ‘As well as connecting us to our ancestry, there is also evidence to suggest that language can actually shape our personality. Soon after journalist Tobias Jones moved with his family to his wife's native Italy, he realized with delight that his children’s characters changed according to the language they were speaking. For example, one of his daughters, usually lively and noisy, became sweet and gentle when speaking in Italian. in another example, a mother reported that even though her son had learned English and Russian, he only used Russian to express to her. Furthermore, a study from the University of Edinburgh found that multilingualism can help children interpret the world around them. Parents have reported that when their children were introduced to different languages, they understood that people, situations and customs varied as well. Research suggests that speaking more than one language offers many advantages. Its widely accepted that multilingualism increases 1 focus and concentration. It also allows Us to communicate in a more diverse range of situations and to connect closely with a wider group of people. In addition, researchers are also uncovering health benefits to being fluent in more than one language, including faster recovery rates from stroke and delayed onset of dementia. The languages we speak influence our sense of culture, background and family connections, and also our personality and health, Regardless of whether we are multi- or monolingual, our language plays an essential role in defining who we are, as 45 ialjo ( / mule Be 1B Reading Language & identity Re ee end 1 © 1.06 @® Read the title of the article. What do you think the article discusses? Choose from A-D. Then read the article and check your answer. The article discusses ... ‘A how different languages are taught around the world, B_ how our personality s reflected in the words that we use. C_how language forms a key part of personal identity. D_ why languages protect both physical and mental health. 2 SRE Read the Key skill. Are the statements 1-4 true or false? Give reasons from the text for your answers. Qrarmmm___ True or false + Always read the whole text before answering any questions. + Read the true / false statement carefully. The entire sentence needs to be correct for a ‘true’ statement. + Find the part or parts of the text that the statement refers to, There might be clues In one part of the text. + Find specific evidence that the statement is true or false. 3 (BEUY Read the text again and answer the questions in your own words. 1 How might a person's cultural background be reflected in the languages they speak? 2. How does Dean Atta feel about language and family connections? 3. How might multilingualism help childeen understand, the worid? 4 ESELI Find verbs in the text that match the definitions. 1. thought about in a particular way (paragraph 2) given the opportunity to experience something so that you can learn about it (paragraph 3) wasn't allowed to have something (paragraph 3) understand in a particular way (paragraph 4) were different in different situations (paragraph 4) describing clearly what something is (paragraph 6) anne 5. §@ In groups, discuss your experience of bilingualism or multilingualism. Think about these points. ‘| Which languages do you speak? Do you speak a different language at home to the one you speak and. at school? 2. Does speaking English (or another language) affect the way you feel and think? In what way? 3. Why isit important to retain culture and language? 4 What do you think is the biggest advantage of being multilingual? 1. According to the article, the majority of people are multilingual. 2. The article suggests that language is separate from culture. 3. The author feels that language influences how our personality develops. 4 The author believes that being monolingual is better for our health and wellbeing. 5. The author believes that language and identity are closely connected Ini eet uae Vocabulary Feelings 6 Look at the blue nouns in the text and check their meaning. Then copy and complete the table with the adjective form of the nouns. Noun Adjective isolation | (1) “sadness @ frustration | (3) “delight 4 affection | (5) empathy | (6) 7 Add these nouns to the table in exercise 6 and write the adjective form. annoyance boredom confusion embarrassment enthusiasm hope jealousy relief Pee ee