This month’s blog veers off the path set in previous blogs, but none the less, covers what I consider an interesting subject: multilingualism.
I grew up in a multilingual household: Italian was spoken with my dad and English with my mum. To make matters more interesting, in my early years I lived in Iran, so I was also exposed to Persian, making me trilingual at a very early age. I later went on to learn Indonesian when I lived in Jakarta where that was the second language taught at school, and then French as it was the second language we had to learn at the school I attended in Cote d’Ivoire. Today, I am trilingual – fluent in English, Italian and French. I still remember a few phrases in Indonesian and am planning to study an additional language, Arabic.
At one time, speaking more than one language from an early age was considered to be an exception. In families where the parents had different mother tongues, children were not necessarily exposed to both languages for fear of creating confusion and making it more difficult for them to learn either properly. More often than not, they would speak the mother’s language. In some instances, this is still the case.
However, in recent years, with the world becoming more easily connected, research has shown that there is no reason to fear exposing our kids to more than one language from the day they are born. Sure, there will be some confusion, but they will grow out of it and be able to reap the advantages of knowing more than one language fluently.
Let’s look at some of the advantages of being bilingual – or even multilingual – and of actually using different languages on a regular basis, starting with the more obvious ones:
While learning a second language comes easier as a child, research has shown that, even as an adult, learning a foreign language will allow you to benefit, though to a lesser extent, from these advantages.
So, don’t worry, go ahead, you and your child can still go out there and learn a new language. A whole new world is waiting to be discovered and numerous advantages are to be gained!
Do you have experience with learning or teaching a foreign language? Share your story in the comments below.
I grew up in a multilingual household: Italian was spoken with my dad and English with my mum. To make matters more interesting, in my early years I lived in Iran, so I was also exposed to Persian, making me trilingual at a very early age. I later went on to learn Indonesian when I lived in Jakarta where that was the second language taught at school, and then French as it was the second language we had to learn at the school I attended in Cote d’Ivoire. Today, I am trilingual – fluent in English, Italian and French. I still remember a few phrases in Indonesian and am planning to study an additional language, Arabic.
At one time, speaking more than one language from an early age was considered to be an exception. In families where the parents had different mother tongues, children were not necessarily exposed to both languages for fear of creating confusion and making it more difficult for them to learn either properly. More often than not, they would speak the mother’s language. In some instances, this is still the case.
However, in recent years, with the world becoming more easily connected, research has shown that there is no reason to fear exposing our kids to more than one language from the day they are born. Sure, there will be some confusion, but they will grow out of it and be able to reap the advantages of knowing more than one language fluently.
Let’s look at some of the advantages of being bilingual – or even multilingual – and of actually using different languages on a regular basis, starting with the more obvious ones:
- With the advent of internet and computers, the world has become more easily connected. Knowing more than one language allows you to gather information from multiple sources and access different viewpoints.
- Your ability to communicate increases and opens many new doors, both at a personal level and academically, as well as when looking for job opportunities.
- Learning a foreign language at an early age allows children to learn like native speakers, makes them more open-minded and curious about their surroundings.
- Studies have shown that being bilingual makes a person smarter by improving the brain’s functionality as it is challenged to recognize, negotiate meaning, and communicate in a different language systems and is better at prioritizing and multitasking. This also improves skills in areas not related to language.
- A bilingual person’s ability to monitor the environment increases in comparison with that of a monolingual person.
- Research has also shown that bilinguals speaking with other bilinguals can easily switch from one language to another, and can choose a word or phrase from the language that better translates their thought.
- Scientific research has shown that the more knowledge a person has of additional languages, the less likely they are to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia
While learning a second language comes easier as a child, research has shown that, even as an adult, learning a foreign language will allow you to benefit, though to a lesser extent, from these advantages.
So, don’t worry, go ahead, you and your child can still go out there and learn a new language. A whole new world is waiting to be discovered and numerous advantages are to be gained!
Do you have experience with learning or teaching a foreign language? Share your story in the comments below.
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