What can we gain from learning
languages?
Frances Wilson, linguistics Phd student from University
of Edinburgh reveals the hidden benefits...
Why bother teaching foreign languages to
primary school children? After all, shouldn’t we be
concentrating on teaching them English?
Researchers and practitioners know the answer
is NO!
There is no reason to believe that the human
brain is best suited to learning only one language.
In fact, worldwide, bilingualism is much more
common than monolingualism.
Not only is learning another language in
childhood not harmful, it is also well known that the younger you
start learning a foreign language, the better your chances of
reaching a native like level of proficiency.
However, on top of all the benefits of being
able to speak another language, there are some hidden benefits.
Children who grow up bilingual have some
cognitive advantages over monolinguals. Research conducted by
Ellen Bialystok in Canada has shown that bilinguals are better at
inhibiting irrelevant information, and controlling attention when
performing certain tasks.
For example, if bilingual children are shown a
printed word with a picture, then shown the same printed word with
a different picture, bilingual children are better able to realise
that the meaning of the printed word stays the same, even if the
picture changes. This is thought to be because bilinguals
have two languages available, and learn to suppress one language
when speaking in another. This skill is transferred to other
domains – even where language is not important.
The ability to inhibit irrelevant information
decreases with age, however, early bilinguals start at a higher
level and decline more slowly. People who start learning a
foreign language as adults get some of these advantages, though to
a lesser extent (Meuter & Simmond, 2007).
No research in this area on child foreign
language learners has been published yet – but it seems likely that
the earlier the better. If the children you teach continue
using their foreign languages, they could still be experiencing the
benefit when they are 100!
References
Bialystok, E., Craik, F.I.M., & Ryan, J.
(2006). Executive control in a modified antisaccade task: effects
of aging and bilingualism. Jounal of Experimental Psychology:
Learning, Memory and Cognition 32:6 pp1341-1354
Bialystok, E., & Martin, M.M. (2004).
Attention and inhibition in bilingual children: evidence from the
dimensional change card sort task. Developmental Science
7:3 pp325-339
Meuter, R.F.I., & Simmond, M. (2007). The
aging bilingual and executive function: beyond the Simon
effect. Poster presented at the 6th International
Symposium on Bilingualism, Hamburg, Germany.