What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism Assignment

What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism - Assignment Example This suggests that while the speaker may use Spanish at home, the same person may use English while at school. In addition, bilingualism may arise out of individual choice to study a language other than the primary language. In the end, bilingualism has both its advantages and disadvantages. The ability to communicate in two different languages is the immediate benefit of bilingualism. The expanded communication ability enables a student access a larger world than usual. In addition, it enables a student enjoy enriching cultures from different communities. This enhances learning, as a student is able to understand different contexts when applied to cultural education. Language is essential since it gives insight into other people’s experiences, perspectives, history, and culture (Fish & Morford, 2012, P.4, L.23-26). For instance, the bilingual ability could be crucial to deaf students who would wish to develop relationships with their peers who speak the English language. Studies have recommended bilingualism for deaf children. When such children learn both ASL and English, the aptitude in the second language becomes an indicator of the mastery of ASL (Baker, 2011, P. 3, L.66-67). Proper acquisition of ASL also supports the proficiency in English. Studies show that bilingualism stimulates language production in both languages. This suggests that a speaker’s brain becomes more open to handling information from two languages (Byrd, 2012, P. 20, L. 13-14). In this sense, a bilingual activates dual grammar systems. This is essential when such a speaker uses two languages simultaneously. Simultaneous, in this perspective, means that a bilingual speaker smoothly transitions from one language to another. When bilinguals develop such control, they can easily communicate to individuals who have only mastered a single language. This is a significant factor in translation. Bilingualism, however, burdens the learner. Burden occurs in terms of