The Importance Of Bilingualism In The English Language

Imagine sitting in a café in the heart of France. The waiter comes to receive the order, and she speaks a confusing language. This student on vacation, doesn’t even understand how to ask for the waiter to speak in English. Having the ability to read, speak, and understand French would illuminate the experience for that student greatly. Learning another language, in this case French, can suggest difficulties at times, but statistics confirm that bilingualism, the skill of speaking two languages fluently, enhances multiple aspects of life. Research from the Rosetta Stone discovered that people that speak one or more foreign languages bring in an income of $10,000 or higher than that of a monolingual individual. At 200 million French speakers, it ranks as the 9th largest linguistic community. 32 different countries claim French as their official language. These statistics point …show more content…
In the “Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism,” Baker explains that bilingual individual has a higher rate of cognitive flexibility. This theory exists in the knowledge of two words for an object. In the same article he presents that bilinguists possess superior story-telling and writing skills stemming from the accelerated elasticity in the brain. Bilingualism also boosts the student’s overall intelligence level, in turn, aiding in the success of other classes. Imagine two students applying for the same job. One of the two bilingual and the other monolingual. If the skill sets are equal, a higher probability prevails that the bilingual student will receive the job offer. Just think, if every student could study a foreign language and become certified bilingual, how could the job market change for these students? Bilingualism definitely screams benefits in the real world after the shelter of