"One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way"
Frank Smith
I'd like to start my blog with an extremely engaging topic called «Bilingualism and Bilingual Education». Everyone has heard about it, however only very few can explain what actually stands behind this seemingly complicated notion. In a nutshell, bilingualism is fluently speaking two different languages (often since a very young age). For example, if a child is born in Spain but to British parents, he'll grow up bilingual in Spanish and English: 1) his parents will communicate with him in English constantly at home 2) outside home he will be brought into contact with Spanish no matter where he steps his foot on: kindergarten, school, playground, etc. Consequently, he'll master two distinct languages simultaneously.
There are hundreds of articles dedicated to this curious phenomenon. During my university studies I evaluated a gazillion of them and at some point it occurred to me that the best way to grasp article's main idea is to pick up a phrase that sparked your interest the most and analyse it thoroughly => by examining a piece, you'll eventually explore the whole. Therefore, here goes the first phrase I chose and the meaning it conveys from my perspective:
«Studies established that early bilingualism is likely to have a positive impact on cognitive development»
(Nicolay, A., Poncelet, M. (2012). Cognitive advantage in children enrolled in a second-language immersion elementary school program for three years. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 16 (03), 597-607).
To my mind, this quotation sums up the outcome of all studies described in the article. It becomes obvious to the reader that for many years researchers could not agree whether this statement is true or false. In the passage, authors try to put a full stop in these continuous debates by proving that bilingualism indeed has a positive effect on cognitive development. Their achievement not only helps us to comprehend the phenomenon of bilingualism more profoundly but also gives us an opportunity to move forward, to do studies and dedicate them to other outstanding features of bilingualism.
We should not be surprised why this question was causing confusion. It is a challenge for a child to develop physically and mentally in a monolingual speaking environment. And when it so happens that there is not one language to learn, but two, the process becomes even more perplexing. In this case, a child has a double duty. S/He should gain all the knowledge and experience monolingual child gains, but in two language worlds simultaneously. This is one of the reasons why some linguists thought bilingualism might have a negative impact on the child and might considerably slow down his/her cognitive development. Fortunately, now we know that it does not. And I agree not only because these studies are trustworthy, but also my personal experience confirms that too.
I grew up as a bilingual child. As far as I know, my parents and teachers were always satisfied with my cognitive development. Sometimes my bilingual friends and I even outperformed some of our monolingual classmates. That might be a coincidence. However, I do know what is not. The correct conclusion described in the quotation is definitely not a coincidence. It was made as a result of a hard and persistent work of thousands of linguists and we are more than grateful for their contribution.