BILINGUALISM

Week 5
 Definition of bilingualism
• The ability to use two languages, especially
with equal or nearly equal fluency.

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictiona
ry/entry/bilingual
 Causes of bilingualism
• A person acquiring 2 languages at the same
time in childhood.
- through bilingual parents.
- through caretaker
 Causes of bilingualism
• A person learning a second language after
acquiring the first.
- learning occurs after early childhood
- during and after the critical learning period
 Benefits of bilingualism
1. Bilingualism benefits a child’s cognitive development

Research 1 (Washington Post, 2004)

• Studies were carried out in Canada, India & Hong Kong
on individuals’ level of performance while being
distracted
- It was found that individuals who spoke two languages
with equal proficiency did better than monolingual
volunteers
 Benefits of bilingualism
Research 2 (www.sciencedaily.com , 2010)
• A study on language preference and discrimination in
newborns was carried out by Byers-Heinlein & Werker
- 2 groups exposed to English monolinguals & Tagalog-English
bilinguals during mother’s pregnancy
- shows that bilingual infants had an equal preference for both
languages
- suggests that prenatal bilingual exposure may affect infants’
language preferences and prepare bilingual infants to listen
and learn about both languages
 Benefits of bilingualism
2. The ability to speak family ethnic
language can strengthen the child’s
sense of identity
 Benefits of bilingualism
3. Bilingualism provides an advantage for
job opportunities in the current global
market
 Benefits of bilingualism
4. Bilingualism encourages cross-cultural
awareness and understanding
 Types of bilingualism
1. Compound bilingualism
2. Coordinate bilingualism
3. Subcoordinate bilingualism
Compound bilingualism
• A person learning 2 languages in the
same context/environment in which
they are used concurrently
• One notion can be expressed in two
different verbal expressions
• A fused representation of 2 languages
-interdependent
• Eg. A child brought up by bilingual
parents
Coordinate bilingualism
• A person learning 2 languages in 2
separate environments
• The words of 2 languages belongs to
2 separate systems – independent
• One language system is developed
first and then the second system
• Eg. A Cameroonian child learning
English at school
Subcoordinate bilingualism
• When one language predominates
on the other
• A primary set of meaning
established through a person’s first
language, and another linguistic
system attached to them
• When words of a weaker language is
interpreted in the stronger language
Factors contributing to bilingualism
1. Multi-racial factors – e.g Malaysia

2. Colonisation – e.g the Phillipines, Malaysia

3. Bilingual education policy – e.g USA

4. Being in a minority group

5. Geographical factors – e.g urban vs rural

community
Factors contributing to bilingualism
6. Family background – academic, inter-racial
marriage

7. Working environment

8. Pressure to conform to the society

– e.g immigrants
 The role of bilingualism
1. Decrease the gap – e.g language, social,
cultural
2. An instrument in workplace
3. Symbolise a linguistic prestige
4. Economic needs – global business
transactions
 The effects of bilingualism
1. Speakers are respected, considered more educated
2. Speakers receive positive treatment
3. Easier racial integration
4. Degrading the first language
5. Encouraging the use of non-standard language – e.g
Manglish, Singlish
6. Increasing speaker’s confidence level
7. Increase potentials in job market
8. Diminishing the first language
 Further readings
• Read on Bilingualism in Canada

http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/
bilingualism
 ARTICLE REVIEW
• Draw a mind map of the content of the article with regards to:
a) the meaning of bilingualism in Canada
b) the historical recognition of the two languages and its setbacks
c) the three measures taken by the Canadian government on the status of
the two languages concerned
d) the role of the Royal Commission and its recommendations
e) the examples of provincial policies enacted
f) the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and the types of
reinforcement it has carried out