Bilingualism On The Brain

Introduction For many years, there has been numerous responses to questions about the connection between number of languages spoken and its effect on our brains. Most of these responses were quick to highlight the negative impacts of bilingualism. The findings by Ellen Bialystok, Thomas Bak, and Janet Werker, all conclude that being bilingual is an advantage rather than a disadvantage. They explain the benefits of bilingualism, and the effects of bilingualism on cognitive aging. Bialystok presents a study on a group of children and a group of elder aged people with Alzheimer’s, both monolingual and bilingual. She discusses the effects bilingualism on the brain from both perspectives. Bak carried out a study on a group of people from Scotland …show more content…
All three researches come to show that bilingualism is a good thing and denies all negative implications previously tied to it. They oppose the view that we will be confused by continuous contact with more than one language and that we will be harmed and cause delays in development. All the studies up to now reveal the contrary. Bilingualism enables us to identify and differentiate speech in both languages. The course of development for bilingual children may fluctuate in delicate ways from their monolingual counterparts, however, they are not harmed by the exposure to multiple languages. Bialystok herself demonstrates that bilingualism provides constructive consequences. This does not wear out, rather it follows you in to the old age if we take part in mental training. This can range anywhere from reading in the target language to code mixing so that you are in daily contact with both languages. Bilinguals are mental jugglers that are constantly being tested, by providing constant stimulations for the mind/brain to keep busy and keep it healthy. All these things may help change the education system for the best. A future effect of all these findings could be …show more content…
It helps hold off cognitive decline whether you are a simultaneous bilingual or a sequential bilingual. This only represents one of the many advantages to appreciate as a bilingual speaker. Bilingualism has also been directly linked to advanced metalinguistic awareness (The ability to recognize language as a system to explore), creativity, and other cognitive skills. Not only is it beneficial in the cognitive and neurolinguistics area, but it also has great cultural and social benefits that one can appreciate. The sense of belonging to something and having self-identity should just add to the list of beneficial attributes of