Perks of being a Bilingual.

Perks of being a Bilingual.

Bilingualism, the ability to speak in two dialects, has been an interesting topic to scientists- particularly neurologists, psychologists and education specialists. Even reporters, teachers and some of the ordinary people count bilingualism as an "issue", something to be debated about. Moreover, most of the professional know that there is something special and unique about being bilingual.

Jeffrey Kluger, a TIME magazine reporter once said, "Never mind how well spoken you might be now, you will never again be as adept (skilled) with languages as the day you were born". Indeed, the youngest person in every room is almost always the best linguist among everyone else. However, linguistic ability fades fast as the child reaches nine months old. Some of our synapses start getting pruned away, therefore, decreasing our bilingual ability. Thankfully, most of the schools in the world did not forget the advantage of being bilingual or even multilingual. Although most of these schools provide the opportunity to study a second language, sometimes parents disagree. The reason of these parents is because bilingualism will deteriorate one’s identity, culture and language. But the truth is, it would help express one's self, improve one's cognitive ability and bring better job opportunities for their children in the future.

A bilingual person is someone who speaks two languages. A person who speaks more than two languages is called 'multilingual' (although the term 'bilingualism' can be used for both situations) (Borsch, 2000). People tend to look at bilingualism as a threat to one's identity, culture and native tongue. Many countries are paranoid about losing their language and individuality. Take for example, America. America is afraid of losing their English language after the arrival of Spanish, French, and other foreign languages in their country. Advertisements, which are widely available to the people, start to have publications in Spanish and in other dialects (Drefius, 2009). Are these Spanish advertisements wrong? Not at all. In fact, America should not be paranoid about anything. English is a universal language and is present in almost every country so, there is no need for America to be worried. Even other counties do not have to worry about losing their native tongue. Actually, today, no country is still monolingual. We should realize that we are living in a competitive generation- striving hard to always have foreign relations that would benefit the country and oneself. But how about the cuture and identity? One’s losing-of his identity, culture and language is not because of bilingualism. In fact, bilingualism would benefit one's country since one has the ability to converse in two languages, thus, giving a person the opportunity to share his or her culture and language to other nationalities.

The second perk of being a bilingual is the ability to easily express one’s self. "Express yourself". We often hear this phase ringing in our minds when we are caught up with insecurity and timidity. It is a phrase that we all know and we all find comfort in. We all need to freely express our desires and feelings. It is then vital to one's life, because without it we could never live fully. We would not be able to tell other about how we feel, what we believe in and stand for. Being bilingual would help a person express his ideas and feelings more because each language has a certain unique word that could not be translated into other languages. Take the "po" and "opo" expressions of the Filipinos. Can you think of any English, French or any other language that has the same meaning as "po" and "opo" regardless of the intonation you give? None. There is no way to be as polite as the way Filipinos speak. Another is the word "bayanihan". Even the universal language, English, could not translate "bayanihan" for us. "Bayanihan" has its own essence and meaning that only those who know Filipino could understand it. Knowing a second, third or even fourth language helps us express ourselves more because certain words could only be expressed through a particular language.

For many years, scientists-particularly neurologists and psychologists have been researching about bilingualism. Studies showed that bilinguals have a nimbler and quicker brain and could even resists Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. These professionals believe that bilingualism would help improve and develop one's cognitive ability. Ellen Bialystok is one of the cognitive neuroscientists who have spent almost 40 years learning about how bilingualism sharpens the mind. Her good news: Among other benefits, the regular use of two languages appears to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. Through her studies, she was able to find that bilinguals have multitasking abilities and integrated cognitive abilities. Even at a young age, the ability to concentrate and comprehend is higher than those who are monolingual . Bilingualism is an interesting topic to scientists but, it may be an issue to other people (Kluger, 2009). In an interview Bialystok was asked, "Bilingualism used to be considered a negative thing- at least in the United States? Is it still?". Bialystok answered "Until about the 1960s, the conventional wisdom was that bilingualism was a disadvantage. Some of this was xenophobia. Thanks to science, we now know that the opposite is true." (Bialystok, 2004)

Lastly, bilingualism would open up doors of opportunity because bilinguals have the advantage and edge to enter a globally competitive world. Again, our generation today is different from the past generations. You have to learn how to use a Mac, iPod and other electronic gardgets in order to "survive" this technology advanced world. But aside from learning to be "techy" (a person who is advanced with technology), being bilingual is also important. Emergence of different foreign companies, the increasing number of OFWs abroad and the fast globalization of our world are just some of the reasons why being bilingual could give us "the" opportunity! Whether companies are conducting business overseas or trying to grab a larger market share at home, employers are increasingly seeking out bilingual workers, or people with the ability to speak and communicate in more than one language. In fact, a recent keyword search by Career Builder, turned up more than 6,000 job postings seeking bilingual applicants. Thirty-one percent of executives speak two languages, according to a poll of 12,562 visitors to the Korn/Ferry International Web site. An additional 20 percent speak three languages, 9 percent speak four languages and 4 percent speak more than four. Bilingual people have the advantage to accelerate in executive positions ones they are working.

Being bilingual would help a person express one's self, improve one's cognitive ability and bring benefits to one's future. Some words can only be expressed using a certain dialect, and there are some phrases that increase the essential meaning of a word. Like, "po" and " opo" which shows respect to the person you are talking to. Bilinguals also have the advantage of resisting Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Lastly, being able to converse with two dialects would help a person find a better job in the future- with high positions right away. We may not notice it, but we already live in a bilingual world. Face it, one will never survive this world without even knowing how to speak a few English words. Try studying a language now before it is too late. Learn, grow and achieve your goals. Be a bilingual.

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      Psychology Today Website, http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual

Maxine Chua. A56A