We live in a time when in our rapidly developing world, borders, including language ones, are expanding. And sometimes completely erased. Did you know that more than half of the world’s population speaks two or more languages every day? Dual language books for kids are bestsellers. In the USA and Canada, bilingual children’s books in Spanish and English are so popular. So for the families who are Spanish and want their kids to learn English fast, bilingual Spanish children’s books will help. In our article, we will tell you why it’s great to be bilingual. And how it can be useful in life.
Who are bilinguals?
First, let’s look at the definition of bilingualism. Bilingualism (lat. bi – “two” + lingua – “language”) or bilingualism – fluency in two languages (native and non-native) and their alternate use in everyday life. This is a rather important feature that should be taken into account since many learn 2-3 foreign languages at once. Does that make them bilingual? Unfortunately no. After all, bilinguals do not just know other languages. They are equally fluent in both their native and foreign languages. It is when a person equally resorts to two languages subject to him in everyday situations that he can be called bilingual.
What are bilinguals?
Natural and artificial bilingualism are the two basic types of bilingualism.
Let us give an example of natural bilingualism. Today, mixed marriages are quite common. And children in such international families are immersed in a bilingual environment from infancy. They learn two different languages at the same time in a completely natural way. The majority of the time, such a technique works if both parents converse with the child in the same language. This is how the newborn becomes accustomed to the sounds of two different languages. Of course, this does not imply that a bilingual child may only be raised by parents of different nations. If a mother or father speaks a foreign language at a high level, they also have the opportunity to create an appropriate environment for bilingual development at home.
Artificial bilingualism, on the other hand, can be found practically anywhere. A person learns a foreign language and gets the essential speaking skills and abilities through artificial bilingualism. However, their native language for him will forever remain the language that he learned first. He will use it in everyday situations, only if necessary resorting to the help of what he has acquired.
How bilinguals appeared.
Why does the phenomenon of bilingualism arise? For starters, all countries around the globe connect in some way. Consider international trade, migratory patterns, student exchange, and so on. Every second inhabitant of our planet learns at least one foreign language to be able to discover a new country. And get acquainted with representatives of other cultures and traditions. In a word, expand your horizons. More and more European states are becoming multilingual (multilingual). For example, Switzerland has four official languages, and in many cities in Austria, Hungarian, Croatian and Slovenian are the “main” ones. True, the language of instruction at a country’s educational institutions frequently differs from the language spoken by pupils at home. This is also one of the criteria for bilingualism to emerge.
Bilingual benefits.
If back in the last century bilingualism was considered mostly a hindrance to language learning. Today it is more of an advantage. Even though the speaker is only utilizing one language. Both language systems are always active in a true bilingual. The key myth about the dangers of bilingualism is associated with this. Supposedly the first language interferes with the development of the second and vice versa. However, this opinion has already been refuted. Psychologists came to the following conclusions on the benefits of bilingualism after running multiple studies on groups of bilinguals and monolinguals (those who only speak one language).
