WHY BILINGUALISM?
Two Languages Are Better Than One

“Love of languages is nothing but one of the forms of love for mankind: to address someone in his own language is like visiting him in his own home as opposed to chatting with him in the street.”
(Lanza del Vasto)

More than half the world’s population is bilingual. At a time when the world is becoming increasingly interconnected, learning another language is a step towards joining a global community. A second language is a window into other ways of viewing the world.

More than that, bilingualism carries concrete advantages for children who grow up speaking a second language. Many studies have shown that bilingualism improves abilities in a number of areas.

Cognitive

• Bilingualism increases mental flexibility for children. Bilinguals will have two or more words for a single object or idea.
• Bilingual children are more willing and able to learn a third language, and show an increased analytical orientation to language.
• Children who study a second language score higher on verbal standardized tests conducted in English. Bilingual children also perform better in math and logic skills than children with just one language.
• Learning a second language helps children build self-esteem, creativity, problem-solving skills, and math ability.

Social/emotional/interpersonal

• Bilingual children maintain a strong sense of their own identity while developing sensitivity towards other people and cultures.
• Since bilinguals need to be aware of which language to speak in which situation, a bilingual child may be more aware of the needs of the listener.

Professional

• Being taught in two languages gives children a head start in competition for universities and jobs.

Benefits of Early Immersion

In order to reap the full benefit of bilingualism, exposure to the second language should begin as early as possible. The chances of achieving full fluency in another language are much higher if study is begun during early childhood, since the human brain is wired to learn language during this critical period.

Immersion duplicates the conditions in which we all learn our first language—extended contact with a community of fluent speakers—and is by far the most effective method of language teaching.

"The world is richer than it is possible to express in any single language." – Ilya Prigogone, Nobel Laureate

The following sites contain more information on bilingualism:

Benefits of Being Bilingual
http://www.yearoflanguages.org

Earlier Is Better
http://www.parentspress.com

Bilingual families

CAL Resource Guides Online

Raising Children Bilingually

Raising Bilingual Children: Common Parental Concerns and Current Research

Language Immersion Education and Research

Learning languages 'boosts brain'

Multilingual Children's association

Cookie mom style, kid culture

Study shows bilingualism has protective effect in delaying onset of dementia by four years