A Powerful Journey
Coming to the United States was an extremely scary experience, but I was ready to overcome any fear. But there was a little problem… Most of the people around me would speak spanish. I got a place in Spanish Harlem where every grocery store, supermarket, laundrymat, beauty salon, or even my building superintendent would speak in Spanish rather than English. Yes, it was wonderful, until I realized that my English wasn't improving as much as I wanted because of this. I decided to get back to school and really face "el dificil" (the difficult), the English language. I knew this was the only way to improve and take full control of the language. I have seen the vast amount of benefits of speaking two languages and can't wait to learn a third one. It is good to know that "advantages of bilingualism are not just a phenomenon early in development--advantages have been reported throughout the lifespan (Bialystok et al., 2006; Costa et al., 2008) and may even delay the onset of dementia in older adults" (Bialystok, Craik & Freedman, 2007). That means that no matter the age, we all can start learning a language and still get the massive amount of advantages it comes with it.
The brain of a bilingual person becomes more flexible and resourceful than that of a monolingual person (Kluger, J. 2013). That is why the earlier we start learning a new language, the better for our brain. “When it comes to language, there’s not such thing as starting too early--and it turns out the brain can be bilingual even before birth,” Kluger explains. When babies with pacifiers were played recordings from multiple languages, those with monolingual moms sucked harder only when they heard English (their mom's language); the others perked up both at English and at Tagalo (Bilingual moms). (Kluger, J. 2013) It is incredible to see how our brain works and the ability to absorb information since such a early age. All the science suggests that the lifelong benefits of learning a new language will be considerable (Kluger, J. 2013). Ingrid Piller, professor of applied linguistic, explains that when we learn and use more than one language, we will be in constant switch of both which helps on control distractors. She also talks about how learning a new language helps to delay mental health problems. (Piller, I. 2012) It was interesting to hear Caroline Erdos, speach language pathologist, to say that there is no disadvantage in learning a new language (Erdos, C. 2011).
It is important to note that “bilinguals are typically not selected for a preexisting talent or interest” because “[i]n the vast majority of cases, individuals become bilinguals through life circumstances” (Bialystok, E. 2011). Nobody should feel the need to have a special ability to learn a new language; everybody can learn a new language if they put themselves to it. Millions of people around the world, without any special skill or higher education, are learning a new language. Why don’t you try it?
Here is a video of one of my favorites songs right now which is interpreted in Algerian-Arabic and French interpreted by Algerian singer, Khaleb. There is also a Spanish version that has been popularized by Hispanic star, Marc Anthony. Enjoy it with me!
|
|
Credits:
Video 1: http://youtu.be/H7rhMqTQ4WI
Video 2: http://youtu.be/YXnjy5YlDwk
Image 1: Banner http://www.paragonconsults.com/americas_documents.htm
Image 2: http://www.businessinsider.com/temp-attorney-told-to-review-80-documents-per-hour-2009-10
Video 1: http://youtu.be/H7rhMqTQ4WI
Video 2: http://youtu.be/YXnjy5YlDwk
Image 1: Banner http://www.paragonconsults.com/americas_documents.htm
Image 2: http://www.businessinsider.com/temp-attorney-told-to-review-80-documents-per-hour-2009-10