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Benefits of Multilingualism
Did you know over half of the world’s population speaks more than one language? According to BBC, percentages of multilingual individuals range from 60-75 percent! As the world continues to become more intertwined, the exchange of language and culture has created an abundance of multilingual and multicultural individuals. Multilingualism, or the ability to speak more than one language can lead to tremendous benefits for your child’s communicative development! Here are three facts about multilingualism:
1. Multilingualism does not hinder your child’s ability to acquire another language. In fact, children’s brains are like sponges! Multiple research studies conclude children are typically able to seamlessly acquire the rules of language from birth to between five and ten years old.
2. Dialects, or variations of a particular language, are still considered languages! For a communicative system to be considered a language, it must be: productive, systematic, and rule governed. Dialects, although different from its base language, meet these criteria! Therefore, dialects are accepted under the category of languages!
3. Multilingualism allows the brain to become more flexible in thinking, problem solving, and in learning. The more you use your brain, the better it becomes at processing information!
Just like the gym, the more you work out the stronger you get. Same goes for the brain! The more linguistic information they receive, the more pathways the brain builds that lead to a variety of benefits such as flexible thinking, creativity, and fine tuned attentional abilities. All of which can lead to academic success!
The next time your child has an opportunity to be exposed to a language, it can be used as a wonderful and beneficial learning opportunity! For a great article on Multilingual Education, check out this article from NPR:
– Samantha M
