Bilingualism's Effects On Children
In 1989, Howard Gardner first proposed the theory of multiple intelligences. His theory posits that every human being is equipped with several kinds of intelligence that are interdependent. He developed his theory as a way to improve and challenge current practices in many fields, including education, child development, and even neuroscience. One of the intelligences he proposes is that of linguistic intelligence. To be able to learn and master a language is a specific form of intelligence that is valuable and vital personally and professionally in the 21st century. Parents and other kinds of alternative families around the world are growing in their awareness in the challenges and benefits of raising children in a bilingual environment and even in multilingual environments. This paper will consider the affects of raising children as bilingual with specific attention to how bilingualism affects areas such as learning, language acquisition, identity, and cultural participation. Raising children as bilingual is a multifaceted endeavor that when done well, should prove to serve the children extremely well in the long and short-term, in various aspects of their lives.
There are a number of advantages to raising a child as bilingual. One of the more prominent benefits of raising a child bilingual is that the child will be relatively more intelligent than his/her monolingual counterparts. Bhattacharjee of The New York Times concurs as he contends that speaking more than one language has intensely obvious and practical benefits in a world that is increasingly globalized. (2012) He notes the differences in the scientific research from prior decades (and centuries) to the research and conclusions of scientists regarding bilingualism in the 21st century. More than the ability to conduct conversations with a wider range of people, bilinguals have a higher intelligence relative to their monolingual counterparts. One of the benefits of bilingualism is that bilinguals are just plain smarter. Bilinguals have improved cognitive functioning that are and are not relative to language. (Bhattacharjee, 2012) Bilingualism develops parts of the brains that protect against mental health deterioration, specifically dementia as bilinguals grow elderly. (Bhattacharjee, 2012)
The process may occur at any stage of human development, as there are obviously plenty of cases where adolescents and adults of all ages demonstrate they have the ability to acquire a new language rather than their native ones. Yet, while the process of raising a child as fully and functionally bilingual is not a simple, or quick task, the task is much less difficult relatively when the parents or caregivers begin the bilingual process at the earliest age possible. Teaching children to be bilingual is easily and more effective when done so before and as they are learning to read. Learning the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of a language is not enough to be qualified as bilingual. Language is a living entity that moves and changes, and really, is in a constant state of flux for a number of reasons, many of which could be traced back to the fact that language is a fundamental component of culture.
Culture is something that changes with time and does not remain in stasis; thus, language, as a pillar in culture, changes with time, too. Consider English as an example. It is not one of the oldest languages in the history of humanity, yet in the 21st century, it is one of the most widely spoken, read, and used languages in the world because of the changes the world has seen since its inception. Old English is distinctively different than Middle English, which is again, distinctive from Modern English. Therefore, to teach a child to be bilingual is just more than teaching the child a language. That is a superficial, though at the same critical aspect to bilingualism.
There is nothing wrong with bringing children up bilingually. For the sake of clarity, it's good to be consistent about who speaks which language when. It is also important that the children have enough exposure to the languages through reading and listening to be able to, for example, communicate with family abroad or speak to people their own age outside the home. (Decraene, 2012, "Bringing up bilingual children")
The child must have the language skills and must additionally be fluent and literate in the history, culture, as well as social...
This was usually the case with the proliferation of British rule at the time; trade was the predecessor to British Colonialism. For administrative purposes, Singapore became a part of Penang and Malacca which were two other settlements in the region. By 1826 these areas were grouped together and became known as the Straits Settlement. Initially the centre of the Straits Settlement was Penang. Penang was governed by Calcutta and
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