Bilingualism: Impact Beyond Language Learning

Guest Post by Chloe Shaw

There are mixed perceptions concerning bilingualism. Historically, bilingualism has been perceived as having negative effects on intelligence. Recent research, however, has actually demonstrated that the opposite is true. Studies have shown that bilingualism leads to cognitive advantages over speaking just one language. The purpose of this article is to review the so-called “bilingual advantage” and discuss how it facilitates children’s learning.

What is the bilingual advantage?
The bilingual advantage refers to the hypothesis that the experience of using multiple languages strengthens cognition. Indeed a myriad of studies have supported this theory demonstrating that both bilingual children and adults have advantages in a variety of cognitive domains. Of these domains, three have significant implications for learning during childhood. These particular bilingual advantages include:

Increased creativity and mental flexibility
In their book, “The Bilingual Edge,” Dr. King and Dr. Mackey cite a noteworthy study demonstrating increased creativity and mental flexibility in bilinguals. In the study, bilingual and monolingual children completed mentally challenging tasks such as naming unique ways to use an empty water bottle, and found that bilingual children not only produce more answers, but also more creative answers than their monolingual counterparts.

Enhanced metalinguistic awareness
Metalinguistic awareness is defined as the deep understanding of language (its sounds, words, and grammar) and how it works. Of the multitude of metalinguistic abilities, phonological awareness (the ability to recognize and manipulate linguistic sounds separate from their meanings) has been shown to have a significant contribution to learning to read and, importantly, has been found to be higher in bilingual children than their monolingual peers.

Superior executive function
Executive function enables individuals to override or inhibit more automatic thoughts and responses in order to effectively perform a variety of tasks and activities. Executive function is essential to intelligence as it enables critical thinking and problem solving. Bilingual children have been found to have superior executive functioning abilities in areas such as working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility than monolingual children.

Taken together, increased creativity, metalinguistic awareness, and executive function are valuable results of becoming bilingual. Advantages in these cognitive domains provide an edge in learning that extends far beyond simply speaking an additional language. Moreover, having innovative ways to approach problems, a richer understanding of how language operates, and superior critical thinking skills are abilities that are increasingly important in the 21st century.

I’d love my child to be bilingual, but our family only speaks one language
If you want your child to experience the benefits of bilingualism, but your family speaks just one language, do not despair! There are a number of ways to promote second language learning. First of all, immersion programs are intuitively the most effective way to help your child become bilingual. That being said, this option isn’t always feasible for every family. Luckily, research suggests that even minimal exposure to language through other means helps children learn a foreign language. One such study found that after just six months of Italian instruction, grade one English-speaking children enrolled in one hour per week Italian lessons showed increased metalinguistic awareness compared to their monolingual peers.

Other tips for bringing language learning into your home:

• Using online resources (e.g. instructional software and apps on iPads) helps bring language learning seamlessly into everyday life. It’s important to note, though, that for language learning to be successful, it needs to be stimulating and engaging rather than a passive experience, so look for interactive resources that encourage practicing and speaking.

• Learning a language as a family is a fantastic way to gain confidence speaking a foreign language. Plan a weekly second language day (or dinner) where everyone must speak in the second language—you could even prepare a meal that corresponds to the particular language to really achieve a rich cultural experience!

In the end, even if your child doesn’t become as proficient in their second language as they are in their first, research has shown that being exposed to a foreign language builds empathy and has positive effects on cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors. So at the very least, exposure to a second language will help your child become a more sympathetic global citizen!

About the author: Chloe Shaw majored in Psycholinguistics at Quest University in Canada. She intends to pursue a graduate degree in School Counseling in the fall of 2016.