The many benefits of bilingualism
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We live in a world of great linguistic
diversity. More than half of the world’s population grows up with more than one language. There are, on the other hand, language communities that are monolingual,
typically some parts of the English-speaking world.
In this case, bilingualism or
multilingualism can be seen as an extraordinary situation – a source of
admiration and worry at the same time. But there are communities where
bilingualism or multilingualism are the norm – for example in regions of
Africa. A Cameroonian, for example, could speak Limbum and Sari, both
indigenous languages, plus Ewondo, a lingua franca, plus English or French, the official
languages, plus Camfranglais, a further lingua franca used between anglophone and
francophone Cameroonians.
On a smaller scale, we all know families where
bilingualism or multilingualism are the norm, because the parents speak
different languages or because the family uses a language different from that
of the community around them.
How difficult is it for a child to grow up in
such an environment? And what are bilingual children capable of? Well, they are capable of quite a lot, even at a very youngage. They can understand and
produce expressions in more than one language, they know who to address in
which language, they are able to switch very fast from one language to the
other.
