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Welcome to another week of Dear Duolingo, an advice column just for language learners. Catch up on past installments

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Hey everyone! We're back this week to answer your questions about languages and language learning 🙌 This week we have a question that involves every single Duolingo learner and Dear Duolingo reader, so let's get to it.

This week's question:

Dear Duolingo,

What does it really mean to be bilingual? I have been studying Spanish and can read it really well, but still struggle with my pronunciation and speaking skills. But it feels like I can understand most of the language. Is this enough to be bilingual? Why or why not?

Thanks,
Why-lingual

This is such a good question: It can be easy to overlook how amazingly complex bilingualism is, and the multiple language communities that bilinguals navigate! There are actually many kinds of bilinguals, and even many ways of defining bilingualism, depending on when you learned each language, how you use your languages, and what stage you are in the process.

What is a bilingual?

There's not a single definition of what it takes to count as "bilingual"! That's because when you break down a language into different skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) and knowledge (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, conversation rules), people are inevitably stronger in some areas than others. That's true even for highly-proficient, life-long bilinguals! As a result, there are many ways to quantify bilingualism.

Generally, a bilingual is someone who uses 2 languages and multilingual is someone who uses 2 or more languages. There's also evidence that your brain treats multiple dialects as though they are distinct languages-because the line between different dialects and different languages isn't always clear!

Since there are so many ways to learn languages, and so much to learn, there are many kinds of bilinguals. Here are just a few ways of describing the huge range of bilingual experiences.

Simultaneous bilinguals: 2 languages since birth

One way to think about bilingualism is to think about *when* a person learned the language. If you've learned multiple languages since birth, you can be considered a simultaneous bilingual. Some simultaneous bilinguals are exposed to a different language from each parent, and for others there may be another person at home, like a grandparent, who uses a particular language with them.

Learning 2 languages from birth may not mean the person continues to use both languages consistently throughout their life, or even just throughout their childhood. But this exposure to 2 languages at once, right from the start, creates a special task for your baby brain!

Sequential bilinguals: 1 language after another

On the other hand, if you learned one language first and then another, you are a sequential bilingual. This could happen because they use one language at home and another in the community or at school, and it can also happen when people move to new communities, go to an immersion school, or otherwise get exposed to a new language.

For sequential bilinguals, the first language may start stronger than the second language, but that doesn't mean that will be the case forever! The "volume" of your languages in your brain can change over time, so the language you learn "first" may not always be the one you are most comfortable using!

Receptive bilinguals: understand multiple languages

Receptive bilinguals are people who understand multiple languages but may not be comfortable producing multiple languages. That's because we can divide language skills into receptive skills (reading and listening skills) and productive skills (speaking and writing). Receptive bilinguals might be able to understand a language when it's spoken to them, like by parents and grandparents, but may not be confident about responding in that language. It's very common and totally normal to be stronger in some language skills than others!

As receptive bilinguals know, language learning is about more than just being exposed to the language. Using a language is like developing a muscle, and if you only have the opportunity to flex certain muscles (like your listening muscle), those are the muscles that you develop! Many bilinguals grow up in situations where it's hard to find opportunities to use one of their languages, or they may experience prejudice or shame for using a language different from what's common in the community. The result can be strong receptive language skills.

Heritage bilinguals: home language and community language

If a bilingual grows up using a particular language at home with their family and another outside the home in the larger community, they are a heritage speaker or heritage bilingual: One of their languages represents their family heritage.

Some families use a home language different from the community language because they themselves grew up using the home language, maybe in another community or country, while in some parts of the world, having a different home language from the community language has been the norm for centuries... or longer!

Bilinguals who use a spoken language and a sign language are called bimodal bilinguals because their languages are in different modes (one signed and one spoken). While bilinguals in the other categories share a lot of overlap, there is one amazing skill that bimodal bilinguals have all to themselves: They can produce both languages at once, signing one while speaking the other. Amazing!

Emergent bilinguals: That's you!

If you're still building up your proficiency in a new language, and you don't fall into one of the categories above, you might be an emergent bilingual: a bilingual-to-be! This is someone (like you, perhaps?) who is on the road to becoming a successful user of multiple languages.

Beefing up all those language skills across all the different things you need to know (from vocab to verb tenses) takes a really long time, but emergent bilinguals achieve lots of important short-term goals on their way to climbing through proficiency levels. There's no established measure for deciding whether someone "knows" a language-it's not as easy as checking a box!-so when an emergent bilingual "graduates" to another category is mostly subjective.

Multiple ways to be multilingual!

Bilingualism is a wide range of behaviors and proficiencies, and each person's situation is a unique combination of communities, identities, families and caregivers, schools, and a life of communication! There are many more kinds of multicultural, multilingual situations than those listed in one short post... but now you can see the amazing complexities and factors that support bilingualism!

For more answers to your language, learning, and bilingualism, get in touch with us by emailing dearduolingo@duolingo.com.

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What does it mean to be bilingual? There are actually many kinds of bilingualism! Here are 6 different ways of being bilingual.

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Did you know speaking more than one language can help you age better? A new book released this week explores the research around multilingualism.

How does speaking multiple languages affect the mind?

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For decades, that question was pushed aside as researchers considered a "standard" brain to be one that knows only one language. But now, more than ever, that assumption is wildly inaccurate.
Today, the majority of the world's population speaks at least two languages. In Europe, fully two-thirds of the population is bilingual or multilingual.
"There are a lot of people out there who are bilingual and multilingual," says Moldovan-American psycholinguist Viorica Marian. "It would help to understand how that multilingual mind works, because very likely that's the future of humanity, especially if you consider artificial languages and other symbolic systems as languages."

Professor Marian was one of the pioneers in the field of psycholinguistics and has been studying multilingual brains since the 1990s. In her new book "The Power of Language: Multilingualism, Self and Society" she explores the body of research surrounding multilingualism - including some of her own - explaining it in simple, understandable terms.

According to that research, the multilingual brain functions very differently from the "standard" monolingual brain when it comes to memory, decision-making, creativity, ageing and more.

"People who speak more than one language or dialect have different linguistic, cognitive, and neural architectures than people who speak only one language," Marian writes in the book.

"For us to study the mind in this abstract way as if it's monolingual - just one language, one mind - is very much a missed opportunity and it gives us an inaccurate understanding of how the mind works," she told Euronews Culture.

Here are five ways bilingual and multilingual brains work differently, which Marian describes in her book.

1. Multilinguals can have different personalities in different languages

People who are fluent in more than one language often describe feeling like different people in each of them, as distinct aspects of their personality come through stronger depending on which language is being used.

On tests that gauge what psychologists call the "Big Five" personality traits - Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism - multilingual people frequently scored differently in their native versus second languages.

For Marian, this phenomenon directly translated to her ability to write her book. The author, who grew up in Moldova speaking Romanian and Russian, said she couldn't imagine writing "The Power of Language" in any other language than English, which she learned in school.

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She writes: "Writing in English frees me from the constraints imposed by the gender roles associated with my native language, allowing me to be the thinker, writer, and scientist that women in many languages do not have the opportunity to be."

"There is a professional aspect to it, of course, where I don't have the vocabulary to talk about neuroscience and cognitive science in Romanian and Russian," she told Euronews Culture. "But there is also this personal connection, where language functions as a vehicle for culture. And Romanian culture - and southeastern European culture in general - still has a ways to go when it comes to representation of women in science."

2. A multilingual brain processes every language everywhere all the time

It used to be believed that different languages were stored in different parts of the brain and that each one would get "turned on" when it was actively being used. But research has shown that theory's all wrong. A multilingual brain actually processes all languages in parallel, keeping them co-activated all the time.

"When your brain processes language, it's not one place in the brain that processes language," Marian says. "It's a network that's spread across all areas of the brain."

Because of that, bilingual brains have more pathways connecting different words, concepts and memories across different languages. Practically speaking, that means a French-English bilingual will see more similarities between unrelated words like nail and cloud, for example, than someone who just speaks English because the word for nail in French is clou.

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It also means that if part of the brain is damaged, one language might be impacted more than another. Marian compares it to an orchestra that's lost one instrument.

"If you damage one part of the brain, just like if you take out one musician from the orchestra, some pieces of music are affected more than others," she said. "A piece that relies more on the violin will be affected more by the violinist not being there than the piece that relies on it less."

3. Multilinguals are more creative and divergent thinking than monolinguals

Creativity essentially boils down to your brain making connections between seemingly unrelated things. That's how inspiration arises for art, music, writing and even creative problem-solving.

Because a multilingual person has more of these connections hard-wired into their brain through different languages and cultures, they tend to perform better on many creativity and divergent thinking tasks.

"The constant co‐activation of multiple languages strengthens the links between the sounds, letters, and words in a bilingual's mind, which results in denser networks and stronger connections at the levels of concepts and meaning," Marian writes.

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Learning another language could even make you more creative, according to Marian. But don't expect miracles.

She writes that "while learning another language will not take your creativity from zero to a hundred, it can help increase it from none to some, from some to more, and can give you the extra edge you need if you are already in a creative profession."

4. Memories are stored and recalled differently in a bilingual or multilingual mind

The theory of Language-Dependent Memory suggests that memories are more easily accessed if they're recalled in the same language the original event took place in.

For example, if a Mandarin-English bilingual is telling you the story of their life in English, they'll more likely focus on things that happened to them in English. Whereas if they're speaking Mandarin, the opposite would happen.

"Different neural networks get activated across languages, and with that activation, different memories come to mind," Marian says. "So language sort of shifts because it's so tied to culture and memory and personal experiences."

It comes across in academia as well. For instance, if a Spanish-English bilingual is tested in English about something they learned in Spanish, they'll perform worse than if the language of learning matches the language of the test.

Using a language that you haven't used in a while can even spark a flood of memories that you thought you'd forgotten about.

5. Learning a different language can help your brain age better

Speaking different languages requires the brain to use a lot of energy, which in the long run can protect it from some forms of cognitive decline.

Research has shown that older adults who know more than one language have better memories, and population studies have found that multilingual countries have fewer cases of Alzheimer's.

Another study found that knowing more than one language can actually delay Alzheimer's and other types of dementia by four to six years on average. And the good news is that once you know a language, you don't even need to use it regularly to reap the cognitive benefits.

"It is a good way if you are thinking about skills or ways to invest your time, learning another language can be a really useful one that can pay long term dividends as we age," Marian says.
If you want to read more about multilingualism and its effects on the brain and society, pick up Viorica Marian's book "The Power of Language," which was released (in English) on 4 April by Penguin Random House.

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'The Power of Language': Do bilinguals think differently?

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Did you know speaking more than one language can help you age better? A new book released this week explores the research around multilingualism.

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Hírek - Aquincum Angol-Magyar Két Tanítási Nyelvű Általános Iskola

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Bilingual people are incredibly attractive. If you don't agree with me, I'm afraid you're in the minority. Being able to speak two or more languages comes with a whole host of benefits (not least for your love life). A great and growing body of research has focused on the psychological, economic, and health benefits of being bilingual. Speaking many languages improves a host of cognitive functions, across all stages of life, and it affects our emotional and social attitudes, as well. The scientific world is starting to take seriously the life-changing advantages to speaking multiple languages.

That's great, but what benefits are we talking about exactly? What specific advantages would learning French or Spanish give you? Here are ten practical benefits from bilingualism:

1. It makes learning languages easier

Let's start with an obvious one. If you can speak two languages already, chances are that you're pretty good at learning them. According to a study from the University of Haifa, those who are bilingual find it much easier to learn a third or fourth language. Even discounting for other factors, like differences in IQ, reading abilities, or other cognitive aspects, bilingualism can be isolated as a causal factor in increasing the chances of being able to learn a new language quickly.

Takeaway: If you learn one new language, others will come much easier.

2. Bilingualism makes you better at multitasking

Bilinguals are in a near constant state of linguistic multitasking. When they have to function in a world outside their first or native language, they have to switch, shift, and process different languages in real-time. The rub is that bilinguals are better at non-linguistic multitasking as well. In one study, a team had children do two tasks: first, to match animals' noises to the proper animal picture, and, second, to match letters to a musical instrument. When bi- and monolingual children did the tasks individually, they did roughly as well. When they had to do them together - as a multitasking activity - the bilingual children were considerably better.

Takeaway: Operating on multiple languages makes you better at multiple anything.

3. It makes you more empathetic

Empathy is the ability to relate to someone else and to see things as they do. And bilinguals are better at it. A major review of the research into this concludes "acquiring two languages helps Theory of Mind development... [which is] the ability to attribute mental states to other people and to predict and explain other people's behavior on the basis of those attributed mental states." Bilingualism allows people to adopt a "metalinguistic" position more easily - that is, seeing a language as only one of many. It's a skill highly transferable to Theory of Mind.

Takeaway: Entering into a different linguistic system makes it easier to enter another's mind.

4. You'll be more popular

If being bilingual makes you more empathetic, you're probably going to be more likable too. This is because Theory of Mind helps in the development of prosocial behaviors. Children who develop an advanced Theory of Mind are better conversationalists, more socially mature, and are often rated as the most popular in class. If bilingualism makes you more empathetic, and empathy makes you popular, bilingualism is likely to make you more popular.

Takeaway: Bilingual children are more popular and better conversationalists.

5. Bilingualism helps you see things differently

The language you speak helps determine how you interpret actions. Imagine you see a person walking down the street to meet a friend. Do you focus on the act of walking, or do you focus on the goal of the walking - that is, meeting a friend? English and French tend to do the latter; German and Swedish the former. What's interesting is how bilingual people can flip-flop between the two. They will switch to whatever "goal orientation" perspective the spoken language demands.

Takeaway: Bilinguals can interpret aspects of the world according to whichever language they are speaking.

6. It can make you richer

If you speak more than one language, you are likelier to get paid more over the course of your life. An article in The Economist (in response to a Freakonomics podcast) described that being bilingual would increase your salary by two percent over 40 years, about $67,000 by the time you retire. The effects are more marked depending on what language you can speak. The Economist showed that German can boost earnings by 3.8%. Data from Salary.com shows "Arabic is the most lucrative language in the UK, with speakers benefitting from 74% higher salaries, on average," and "Arab speakers in teaching; accounting and finance; IT; sales; and PR, advertising, and marketing see the biggest salary boosts."

Takeaway: Learning a language will get you a pay boost - with a bonus for Mandarin, Arabic, and German.

7. It can make your country richer, too

And it's not just you who can benefit financially. The more a local area, state, or country can speak another language, the greater its economic output. Economists from the University of Geneva estimate one-tenth of Switzerland's GDP is due to its multilingualism. Research by the RAND Corporation think tank has argued that increasing language acquisition in UK schoolchildren could boost the economy from between £9 billion (for Spanish) to £12 billion (for Mandarin).

Takeaway: If you want to be a good citizen, it's time to learn a new language.

8. Bilingualism reduces the chances of, and slows the worsening of, Alzheimer's

As we get older, the more our cognitive functions will grind to a halt. With gray hair comes a loss of essential gray matter in the brain. At its worst and most extreme, this will manifest itself as dementia (of which Alzheimer's is the most common). But, according to a huge meta-analysis of all the various studies on the topic, learning and speaking multiple language helps in two ways. First, it reduces the chances of getting dementia. Second, if you were to get dementia, it slows its onset and lessens the symptoms. Of course, this is not to say bilingualism stops people getting dementia, but it is a significant factor in reducing your chances from suffering its effects.

Takeaway: Bilingualism exercises cognitive functions that help reduce the risk of dementia.

9. It improves certain executive functions

All those little jobs your brain does without any praise or consideration are called executive functions. If you tap your left hand while reading this sentence, that's an executive function. If you decide to read this sentence backward, that's an executive function. Bilinguals are better at certain kinds of them, namely, those that involve flipping between different types of brain activation. The classic one is the " Stroop test, " which asks you to read out words for colors (like "red" or "orange") that are written in the same or a different color of ink. Bilinguals are not better at all kinds of executive functions, but in a few specific ones, they're definitely ahead of the pack.

Takeaway: Being able to flip between languages makes it easier to flip between executive functions.

10. It makes you more attractive

But let's come to the most important reason of all. Being able to speak another language is sexy. It's exotic, mysterious, and intelligent. But which language is best if you want to win at love? In one study, a team put heart monitors on participants and then measured which languages got the heart racing fastest. Unsurprisingly, the winner was Italian, with Portuguese and French coming in next. And if you happen to be Dutch, German, or Japanese and are reading this, I'm sorry, I've got bad news for you...

Takeaway: Learning languages makes you sexier. (Does not apply to German.)

Confounding factors

While there is a lot of evidence that shows bilingualism to be beneficial, it might not be so clear-cut. A lot of the research done into learning languages is reputable and thorough, and researchers try to focus on bilingualism as an isolated factor. The problem, though, is that humans are an infuriating tangle of complications. People who have the ability to learn a second language, especially in English-dominant countries, are often better schooled, wealthier, and privileged in other ways as well. As such, it's hard to isolate bilingualism entirely as the factor for all of the ten points above.

But even with this caveat, the overwhelming research we have available to us reveals bilingualism to be far more beneficial than not. Even if reducing the chances of dementia, being better at certain brain functions, and being richer doesn't persuade you, perhaps being much more attractive to everyone you meet is surely reason enough.

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10 benefits of bilingualism, according to science

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Bilingual people are incredibly attractive. If you don't agree with me, I'm afraid you're in the minority. Being able to speak two or more languages comes with a whole host of benefits (not least for your love life). A great and growing body of research has focused on the psychological, economic, and health benefits of being bilingual.

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5 Tips for Raising Bilingual Children Using The Time and Place Approach - Bilingual Beginnings

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In this post, guest blogger Corrie Wiik, from Mama Llama Linguist, will share five tips on how she uses the Time & Place bilingual parenting approach.

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Recent studies estimate that over half the world's population is multilingual to some extent, speaking more than just one language. When a person is multilingual, they reap the social benefits of being able to communicate with and blend into a whole new community and culture of people.

But there are other significant benefits to speaking more than one language such as career benefits and, the subject of this article, the cognitive benefits of being multilingual. In fact, these benefits can positively and profoundly impact your cognition until well into old age! So, read on to discover some of the many cognitive benefits of being multilingual!

[And for a complete toolkit for how to teach yourself a language, check out the best ways to learn a language on your own.]

8 Demonstrated cognitive benefits of being multilingual

1. A better, innate understanding of how language works

Because learning a second (or third, or fourth) language brings your attention to the mechanics of the two languages, (including how they differ), multilingual people tend to understand things like grammar, conjugations, and sentence structure better than monolinguals. These people can more quickly pick up on the structure of any language and clearly understand how it can be used.

Multilingual people also tend to be more effective communicators, more exact editors, and more compelling writers, because they better understand how languages function, including in their native language.

Read: ' Why you should practice SPEAKING a second language'

2. Less mental decline in old age

Many studies have shown that the more elderly people "exercise" their brains every day, the less cognitive decline they experience overall. And it turns out that jumping between languages-or acquiring a new one-is a particularly effective way to attain this benefit!

Read: ' Learning a new language when you're older and how to do it!'

In fact, several studies have demonstrated that bilingualism can delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by an average of five years! Even better, bilingual patients who do develop Alzheimer's tend to display less decay in cognitive abilities than monolingual patients.

3. More efficient and better developed executive control in the brain

When you are multilingual, you constantly switch between languages without thinking about it. And this is why multilingual people tend to have better developed executive control systems, the part of the brain that controls your ability to switch your attention between things and exercise working memory. A more developed executive control system allows multilingual people to better perform tasks that require high-level thought, multitasking, and sustained attention.

Psssst! Check out Brainscape's flashcards for any foreign language to learn twice as efficiently as any other study method!

4. Greater cognitive flexibility and problem-solving skills

Learning a new language requires the brain to express similar thoughts in different ways and because of this multilingual people develop greater cognitive flexibility. This translates into other areas as improved creativity and problem-solving, as well as the ability to perceive situations in different ways. Multilingual people tend to solve complex problems in more creative ways than their monolingual peers, no matter what kind of problem is being solved.

5. Improvements in learning abilities

As mentioned earlier, multilingual people have more developed executive functions. One important executive function is inhibition, the ability to discard irrelevant or unimportant stimuli and focus on the key stimuli. Inhibition is key to learning new information and skills, as it allows you to focus on what's important while reducing interference from what you already know, as well as similar concepts. Since multilingual people have better-developed inhibition, studies demonstrate that they can not only learn a third or fourth language quicker, but can develop any learned skill faster.

6. Changes in neurological processing

Brain imaging techniques, such as fMRIs, have shown that multilingual brains tend to activate the linguistic portion of their brains even when not engaged in linguistic tasks. This leads researchers to believe that the brain's ability to connect skills tends to enhance cognitive function over time. Bilingual brains tend to show higher level of activation to auditory stimuli overall, which gives them an advantage in sensory processing. Even the actual structure of the brain is affected.

Studies show that multilingual people have a higher density of grey matter in their brains, and older bilingual people usually have better-maintained white matter, even late in life. The cognitive control required to manage multiple languages seems to broadly impact neurological function and structure, fine-tuning cognitive control mechanisms and sensory processes.

7. More rational decision-making skills

A study done at the University of Chicago demonstrated that bilinguals tend to make more rational decisions. As language contains nuance and subtle implications in its vocabulary that can subconsciously influence your judgment, thinking in your native language tends to be fraught with emotional biases. Interestingly, though, multilingual people tend to be less affected by such biases, especially in their second language. Bilinguals are able to draw from their understanding of a problem using both languages, which allows them to rely more on analytic processes than emotional linguistic cues.

Read: How brain science can help you learn a language faster

8. A more perceptive understanding of the world

Multilingual people tend to be better at observing their environment and spotting misleading information. Perhaps this is because of their enhanced inhibition skills that allow them to focus on relevant information and edit out the rest. Due to this, multilingual people have been shown to be keen observers of the world around them, as well as more skilled at identifying and correctly analyzing the sub-context of a situation and interpreting the social environment. This makes multilingual people highly perceptive, a skill that's also exercised by interacting with the unfamiliar social or cultural context of a second language.

Multilingualism is great for your brain

As you can see, the cognitive benefits of multilingualism can potentially outweigh the concerted effort of learning a new language. This is especially true when you find an effective and simple way to develop your linguistic skills.

[See also: Should you learn a language? Maybe not (and that's ok)]

If you're seriously thinking about learning a new language, you should check out Brainscape's groundbreaking spaced repetition system for learning a language, which makes learning a new language as efficient as possible for learners of any level.

If you are still monolingual or are simply ready to tackle your next language, check out the many foreign language flashcards we have, and get started today!

Sources

Bartolotti, J., & Marian, V. (2012). Language learning and control in monolinguals and bilinguals. Cognitive Science, 36(6), 1129-1147. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1551-6709.2012.01243.x

Craik, F. I., Bialystok, E., & Freedman, M. (2010). Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease: Bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve. Neurology, 75(19), 1726-1729. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e3181fc2a1c

Keysar, B., Hayakawa, S. L., & An, S. G. (2012). The foreign-language effect: Thinking in a foreign tongue reduces decision biases. Psychological Science, 23(6), 661-668. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797611432178

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The cognitive benefits of being multilingual

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Multilingualism has widely recognized social and career benefits. But did you know you can also reap the huge cognitive benefits of being multilingual?

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Bilingual Development in Childhood: Elements in Child Development Series | Cambridge Core Blog | Child care workers, preschool educators, teachers, speech and language professionals, pediatricians - they all frequently meet up with children who grow up with several languages. The proportion of bilingual children seems to have greatly increased over the last decades. Although we don't have precise statistics, it is likely that about a fifth of children in

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Child care workers, preschool educators, teachers, speech and language professionals, pediatricians - they all frequently meet up with children who grow up with several languages. The proportion of bilingual children seems to have greatly increased over the last decades. Although we don't have precise statistics, it is likely that about a fifth of children in the Global North are learning more than a single language. Because there are many thoroughly multilingual societies in the Global South, the worldwide proportion is probably close to 50%.

In spite of the great numbers of bilingual children on our planet, professionals working with children and the general public don't know all that much about their language development. This limited knowledge has given rise to many myths. Many people believe bilingual children are confused, or that children have to be extra smart to learn more than a single language. Many professionals think that a bilingual environment slows down children's language development. These myths have very negative effects. They stand in the way of children's and families' well-being and threaten harmonious bilingualism.

Fortunately research into early bilingualism has vastly increased in the last 25 years or so. As a result, scholarly knowledge about how children learn two languages has greatly improved. This Element brings that knowledge together. It reviews and summarizes what we currently know about how bilingual children develop their languages in the first decade of life, that is, in infancy, early childhood, and middle childhood.

Children become bilingual at different times of their lives and in different settings. This Element explains how these different circumstances have an effect on how children learn their languages. Many children start learning two languages from birth in the home (Bilingual First Language Acquisition). In early childhood hitherto monolingual children start hearing a second language through daycare or preschool (Early Second Language Acquisition). Yet other hitherto monolingual children may start hearing and acquiring a second language after entering primary school in middle childhood (Second Language Acquisition). All children eventually learn to speak the main language spoken in public life and at school. However, many children do not learn to fluently speak a language that they hear at home but that is not used at school. They may even stop speaking it. Children's and families' harmonious bilingualism is threatened if bilingual children do not develop high proficiency in all the languages they encounter in daily life.

Developing good skills in several languages depends on many factors. This Element reviews the factors for each of the first three life stages (infancy, early and middle childhood). The weight of factors dynamically changes as children grow older. However, on the whole, the amount of input in each language, parental conversational practices, and pedagogical approaches play a pivotal role in supporting dual language proficiency and harmonious bilingual development ( www.habilnet.org).

Bilingual Development in Childhood by Annick De Houwer is part of the Elements in Child Development series

Image Credits: © Annick De Houwer @ habilnet

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Bilingual Development in Childhood: Elements in Child Development Series " Psychology & Psychiatry# " Cambridge Core Blog

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Child care workers, preschool educators, teachers, speech and language professionals, pediatricians - they all frequently meet up with children who grow up with several languages. The proportion of bilingual children seems to have greatly increased over the last decades.

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Bilingualism Matters: Myths and Facts about Early Bilingual Development — Mileidis Gort

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Playing games is not only great fun for babies and children, but it's also a key part of their early development. And this is no different if you speak more than one language at home with your children.
"Whether you're a bilingual speaker or a modern English speaker, how language develops and embeds itself is the same," says Speech and Language Therapist, Monal Gajjar.

You need repetition of the language, but more importantly, you need it to be fun and motivational for your child.

Around the age of three, your child starts to develop metalinguistic awareness. This is when they start to reflect on the language they're using and consciously choose between different words.

"That's when fun games are really crucial," says Monal. "Because they allow your child to be engaged, to take the lead and experiment with their language skills."

Here are our top 10 multilingual games that you can try at home with your little one:

1. Whispering Game

If your child is lacking confidence, the whisper game is a perfect way to encourage their second language.

Whisper a phrase into their ear and get them to pass it on to another person or teddy in a different language. This game is great for repetition and modelling, giving your child the opportunity to repeat words and phrases and boost their confidence with pronunciation.

2. Phone Call Game

When your child is feeling noisier, you can grab a banana or just use your hand and have a phone call.

Stand at different corners of a room and have children copy what you say to a teddy bear who is learning your language.

"A lot is going on in this game," Monal explains. "Your child will love taking the leading role with their teddy to teach them the language but will also be constantly picking up on your body language, gesture, intonation and accent."

3. Playing with Puppets

Make a puppet that only speaks a certain language and encourage your child to translate what you are saying to the puppet.

"This game is nice because you're saying their second language belongs also to someone else," Monal says. "It makes them question what they can do if someone doesn't understand English or their first language."

4. Play catch with a twist

Throw a ball to your child and say a word or phrase in one language. When the child throws the ball back to you, they have to say the word or phrase in a different language.

5. Matching Game

All you need for this game is to put together some flashcards with words in two languages. They don't need to be pretty, and you can choose whether to add colour or drawings.

The main thing is you can put them on the floor or a table and play pairs with them, matching words in both languages.

"This game is fantastic because it encourages the use of lots of the senses," Monal explains. "There's quite a bit of processing going on in a child's head without them having to come up with the words on their own."

6. Hide and Seek with Words

This game lets children follow their own lead and be in control. You can take your cards from the matching game and hide the word in one language around the house.

You then hold up the word in the other language and ask your child to go around the house and find the matching pair.

7. I Spy

A classic game that works well in all languages.

Looking for a way to introduce words from your home country? Try playing this game at the supermarket, where you can find foods from all over the world.

8. Rhyming Games

"Language is not just about stringing words together but also phonics, sounds, patterns and intonation," Monal says. "There are certain sounds that appear in some languages but not others. It can be fun for you and your child to play around with this concept."

Start by saying a word in your chosen language and ask your child to say another word that sounds the same. You can chat about the word they've chosen or even have fun if it's not a real word.

"It's just about getting them to use those sounds and practise moving the muscles in their mouth in different ways."

9. The Corner Game

Put flags from countries of the languages you speak in the corners of a room (one flag in each corner). Play some music and ask your child to run around the room. When the music stops, they have to quickly find a corner to run to of their choice.

Once they're in place, hold something in your hand, like an object or image, and ask your child to say the word that matches the country they are standing in.

"This is a great game to play with friends and siblings," says Monal. "You can swap out who stands in the middle and who shouts out the words."

10. Photo Fun

Using photos of family members and other objects, like food or modes of transport, ask your child to create a story around Grandma or Grandpa and what they've done on that day.

If your child speaks in a certain language to one family member, encourage them to tell the story in that language. Change it up based on what family member you're talking about.

Monal suggests leaving the photos lying around to allow your child to reflect on the stories they've told. "Being interactive with your child is great during playtime, but giving them time to think about what they're chatted about and learnt is just as important."

Monal's Top Tips for Parents

Avoid saying 'no'

Try not to be negative when your child gets a word wrong. It's important to praise them and let them know it's ok to make mistakes. There are lots of ways you can correct them without hurting their confidence.

This helps to create a fun and safe environment for them to explore using their languages, without worrying about getting it perfectly right.

Get the whole family involved

If there are people in your family who speak different languages, it's great to get them involved with games. It's so important for children to see all the languages they speak being valued.

Don't panic if they're not engaging

Avoid putting too much pressure on them. Their brains are working really hard, and it's common for them to go through a so-called silent phase.

Continue to have fun in different languages and ensure your child sees people using all their languages comfortably and happily.

Role reversal during playtime can also help. By letting your child take the lead and seeing you speaking the words you want them to speak, they'll gain confidence and reassurance.

The most important thing is to have fun.

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Bilingual games for toddlers: 10 fun and easy ways to help speech development through play

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Speech & Language Therapist, Monal Gajjar shares her top 10 bilingual games for toddlers, which can encourage bilingualism and help boost speech development.

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6) How can I support bilingualism in the context of a dual language or bilingual classroom?
In addition to the effective language and literacy strategies presented in Questions 4 and 5, teachers in dual language or bilingual classrooms must be strategic in their use of the two languages. To do so involves promoting home language development, as well as English, with the goal of developing proficiency in both languages. Exposing children to both languages in early education settings can help them experience the benefits of being bilingual, including cognitive, social-emotional, and linguistic advantages.36 Research shows positive effects of instructing Multilingual Learners (MLs) in two languages on their skills in each language, as well as other learning domains.37 In fact, evidence also shows that fostering the home language supports the development of English-often called cross-language transfer.38

Learning in dual language / bilingual classrooms builds upon what children know and have learned in one language to support high levels of learning in the other language, and vice versa.39 It is not teaching the same thing in two different languages, but rather providing strategically coordinated and aligned instruction in both languages with language-specific scope and sequence. Content is integrated with language and literacy development and is used as a bridge across languages. In dual language programs, teachers can provide and promote opportunities for active bilingualism, biculturalism, and building sociocultural competency. Bilingualism should be actively celebrated and promoted, and teachers should provide extra support and affirmation for languages other than English. It is important to provide language-choice time where children can determine which language (or mix of languages) they wish to use for expression. The guidance below can be followed in the context of different dual language and bilingual models to promote home language and English language development.

Strategies in action

Evidence-Based Strategies and Resources

6A) Provide curriculum and language support materials in each language that are of equally high quality.

6B) Follow an intentional, systematic plan for supporting the development of each language that includes maintaining separate protected time for each language.

6C) Integrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking in both languages to develop bilingualism and biliteracy.

6D) Make sure to use content to build both the home language and English, so that ML children develop content understanding in both languages.

6E) Provide separate (and complementary) oral language and literacy opportunities and materials in each language to allow children to become immersed in each.

6F) Provide explicit opportunities for children to compare and contrast the two languages to support cross-language transfer of learning.

6G) Assess children in both their home language and English to understand their full range of skills.

Strategies are interrelated

Individual strategies across the different instructional topics are interconnected and should be implemented together, in a purposeful and connected manner throughout instruction, and not in isolation. Make sure to also consider your classroom or school's language model when implementing the strategies and adapt accordingly.

Visit how to use this site >

Alignment with Existing California Educator Guidance Documents & Resources

The Multilingual Learning strategies are closely aligned with existing guidance documents and resources for educators in California. Learn how Bilingual Classrooms strategies align with these existing resources, or to see how the standards align across all strategies, visit the alignment reference guide page.

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Bilingual Classrooms * Dual Language * Multilingual Learning Toolkit

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6) How can I support bilingualism in the context of a dual language or bilingual classroom? In addition to the effective language and literacy strategies presented in Questions 4 and 5 , teachers in dual language or bilingual classrooms must be strategic in their use of the two languages.

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Expand your existing teaching practice and knowledge by engaging in rigorous course work and a reflective model of practice, preparing you to work in bilingual education settings.

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INSPIRE. ENGAGE. TEACH.

Amplify the effectiveness of your teaching with the online Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) Graduate Certificate Program from Purdue University. It's a fast-paced way for you to broaden your professional skillset and gives you confidence to meet your students' needs.

The DLBE Graduate Program provides teachers with the professional preparation to assist dual bilingual learners in developing their English language and academic skills in K through grade 12. This teacher professional development opportunity may be for you. Program benefits include:

Fully online

Courses offered one at a time in an 8-week format

Program can be completed in as little as 2 semesters

Related field experiences can be done in your classroom

Purdue quality. Flexible schedule.

Online students enjoy the same rigorous academic programs as on-campus students, but with a much more flexible class schedule. Assignments, discussions, and other coursework are posted each week in the virtual classroom.

Program Overview

The purpose of the dual language bilingual education (DLBE) graduate certificate is to address the growing need of schools and teachers in meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students, including the rapidly growing English language learner student population, through the provision of high-quality dual language and other bilingual education programs. Dual language and other strong forms of bilingual education can be effective in helping all students develop high levels of bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic achievement while fostering students' linguistic identities and rights.

Request Information - DLBE Graduate Certificate

Career Outlook

Teachers strive to create a learning environment that is academically challenging for students at all levels. Because of the special needs of bilingual students, educators with dual bilingual skills are in demand. The demand for dual bilingual teachers will only increase as more students from non-English-speaking homes enter school.

Job Titles

Bilingual Teacher

Director of Languages

Teacher

Tutor

Bilingual Support Specialist

Language Immersion Specialist

Certificate Completion Options

Complete the DLBE Graduate Certificate as a stand-alone program (12 credits)

This option is ideal for current teachers who already possess general teacher licensure in their state and/or additional licensure in teaching English language learners, who work or who plan to work in dual language or other bilingual education programs. It is also ideal for graduate students with research interests in bilingual education and bilingualism. This option does not lead to any form of teacher licensure, but a certificate recognized by the Indiana Commission of Higher Education.

Complete the DLBE Graduate Certificate and add on the Teaching English Language Learners (TELL) Graduate Certificate (21 Credits)

This option only requires 3 additional courses to earn both the DBLE and TELL Graduate Certificates. This combination is ideal for students with teaching or research interests in a wide range of programs for English language learners, including mainstream, sheltered English immersion, English as a second / new Language, dual language immersion, other bilingual education programs. This option does not lead to any form of teacher licensure.

Complete the DLBE Graduate Certificate and add on an Indiana ELL teacher license to an Indiana general education license (21 credits)

This option is designed for licensed Indiana teachers who currently work or plan to work in a variety of programs for English language learners, including mainstream, sheltered English immersion, English as a second / new Language, dual language immersion, other bilingual education programs. This option only requires 3 additional courses to earn both the DBLE and TELL Graduate Certificates. This option ADDS an ELL teaching license to a current Indiana general education license.

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Bilingual Certificate - Purdue University College of Education

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Launching the future through the discovery and development of human potential

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Bilingual Educators: Transforming Lives through Dual Language Education

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9 Fantastic CLIL Activities for Any Foreign Language Classroom | FluentU General Educator Blog

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CLIL activities are meant to teach students a foreign language through other topics, like math, history and drama. These 9 fascinating activities will get your students engaged and excited, from classic games with a twist to map races and art exercises. You can easily adapt them for different proficiency levels!

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Your Ray ID for this request is 9198f16f4973499b

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A Bilingual Program egy intenzív kétnyelvű képzés.

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Bilingual teachers play a vital role in the education sector. They are teachers who mentor students seeking to speak English as a second language.

Most people that enrolled in bilingual degree programs did it to claim bragging rights among friends and family. Currently, bilinguals are one of the most regarded people in any sector.

Their ability to speak more than one language has given them more social and economic opportunities. Also, their good communication abilities help them to learn about other cultures with ease and break down language barriers.

Becoming a bilingual teacher is a great career path you should take to obtain a bilingual education degree.

Besides the socio-economic privileges, you will develop your cognitive abilities, improve leadership skills, and connect to influential people. Above all, bilingual teachers are some of the highest-paid professionals in the world.

In this article, we will discuss the roles of bilingual teachers and the characteristics of an effective bilingual teacher.

We will also provide information on the time it takes to obtain the degree, the benefits of having a bilingual degree, the best schools to get a bilingual degree, and finally, tips for becoming an effective bilingual teacher. Read on and enjoy!

Who is a bilingual teacher?

A bilingual teacher is a special kind of teacher who lectures and guides a class of students to learn English as a second language.

They use their abilities to speak a language other than English to improve their interactions with students who are not flowing in English.

Bilingual teachers possess good communication abilities that help students settle down in school and study the culture of a society they know nothing about.

Roles of a Bilingual Teacher

Bilingual teachers build up the language abilities of students in the following ways;

Creates lesson plans that develop the abilities of bilingual students.

Create class activities, tasks, and competitions that encourage students to study the material and relate in their non-native language.

Mark assignments and make corrections to improve students.

Carry out intermittent check-ins, explain difficult theories and interpret certain sentences to engage each student.

Relate with parents who also lack bilingual abilities and help them understand their wards' development.

Develop syllabuses that teach language and course content at the same time.

Incorporate cultural lessons into their classrooms to enhance bilingual students' understanding.

Quizzes and evaluate students' proficiency in their non-native language.

Characteristics of an effective Bilingual Teacher

In addition to their language skills and the essential training they enrolled in, bilingual teachers also hold the subsequent qualities that make them efficient at their jobs;

They help students learn unfamiliar cultures by developing a connection between unique and compound cultural elements. They achieve this by improving the logical reasoning of students.

Effective bilingual teachers possess good organizational skills. They draft a lesson plan that is favorable to students. Also, to monitor students' progress and development, they maintain and organize files and records of tests and quizzes.

They create techniques to keep students involved who may be frustrated at learning a new language, requiring inventiveness.

Effective bilingual teachers possess amazing communication skills to help students understand notions. Moreover, they achieve this by efficiently expressing themselves verbally and in notes.

Some students can discourage the efforts of their teachers. However, although every material and facility is in place to enhance their studies, the students can be uninterested because they find it difficult to understand the language.

Handling these kinds of students requires patience, and any good bilingual teacher must persevere with students till they learn the language.

Read this: Shop Teacher (Meaning, types, how-to, benefits, features)

How long does it take to get a Bilingual Degree

Aspiring bilingual teachers must first possess a bachelor's degree in education before enrolling in a foreign language as a master's degree or as a second bachelor's degree.

However, in some countries, you can only become a bilingual teacher when you obtain a master's degree in education.

Acquiring additional certifications and specialized courses will boost your credentials and bilingual teaching abilities. Nevertheless, a bilingual bachelor's degree program is completed in 4 years all over the world.

Benefits of having a Bilingual Degree

Enrolling in a bilingual degree program is one of the best ideas to make this year. A career in bilingualism holds lots of social and economic opportunities.

However, bilingual education has a good impact on the brain and will also affect your life in the following ways;

Holding a degree in bilingual education offers you bigger economic opportunities than most degrees.

Due to the digital nature of the world, people now do business with clients from different parts of the world. Hence, there is an increased demand for bilingual experts in the world today.

Once you have a bilingual degree, your chances of landing a good job increase.

Passing through a bilingual degree program improves your critical thinking abilities and other cognitive gifts. You will also develop amazing problem-solving skills, which is a valuable trait in any economic sector.

Bilingual studies improve memory. People that enroll in this course find it easy to remember things, which make them highly productive.

According to studies, people with bilingual abilities hit bigger academic feat than those without such. Hence, enrolling in a bilingual class will get you there if you want to hit greater academic heights.

Read this: Bonafide Certificate (Meaning, Types, Uses, Application)

Best Schools to get a Bilingual Degree

Attaining the very best schools for bilingual education is priceless. These schools offer the perfect blend of professors and top-notch facilities to develop your bilingual abilities.

Hence, in no particular order, here are the best schools to get a bilingual degree.

This is an outstanding university for bilingual education. This school offers a unique curriculum that will improve you immensely.

Also, Texas Christian University boasts of amazing professors that are dedicated to their tasks. The school runs an excellent bachelor's degree program in bilingual studies.

Hofstra University is a world-class university for bilingual and multilingual education. In this university, you will complete your studies in less than four years.

DePaul University offers degree programs in bilingual and multilingual studies. This school boasts of excellent staff and seasoned experts to help you become an exceptional bilingual teacher in the future.

Hamline University makes it to this list because of its top-notch bilingual learning program that will improve your abilities quickly.

Dallas Baptist University offers an undergraduate and master's degree program in bilingual and multilingual education. It is an exceptional college for bilingual studies.

This college is another outstanding school for bilingual studies. The learning program here exposes its students to a bilingual cultural and academic syllabus that is beneficial.

This university offers an extraordinary bilingual program that will increase your chances of earning a fantastic job.

Tips for becoming an effective Bilingual Teacher

Becoming an effective bilingual teacher requires passion, but above all, you must possess the ability to clearly explain terms and concepts excellently in addition to other valuable techniques, which includes;

Before you begin your class, explain the objectives of the study to your students. This will get them excited and provide them with a good knowledge of the program they are expected to learn.

Do not make things difficult for your students. Provide clear guidelines for your students when giving them assignments. Also, you can explain the scope of the assignment using examples.

Students can be very inquisitive at times. In bilingual studies, students with zero ideas of speaking the language always have lots of questions.

Whenever they ask them, don't brush them off at any time. Even if they ask questions via email, make out time in your hectic schedule to respond.

A syllabus contains details of the objectives of the study. Designing a comprehensive schedule will allow you to include the relevant lessons that your students must learn.

Make your class interactive by asking questions. Also, don't end any class if you have not received great feedback from students that they understood what you taught.

Divide your students into different groups and give each group a project and task. Even if you don't do this regularly, do it occasionally to improve the class relationships and bonds.

Also, bilingual students struggling to catch up with others will interact with their colleagues, which can be very helpful.

Assignments and tests are great ways to obtain feedback from your students on their understanding of the course.

Hence, after every class, give assignments and test them frequently to help you appraise their bilingual abilities.

After marking and recording assignments, provide students with corrections on time.

Conclusion:

Bilingual teachers play an important role in reacting to the increasing need for bilingual studies. They develop students to reach their full potentials and excel in other activities.

Nevertheless, becoming a bilingual teacher is very profitable and pursuing a career in bilingual tutorship is a great choice you should make.

Awesome one; I hope this article answered your question.

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Bilingual Teacher (Meaning, Roles, Length, Benefits, Schools)

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A bilingual teacher is a special kind of teacher with a bilingual degree who lectures and guides a class of students to learn English as a

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Given the current crisis in Ukraine, diversity in classroom settings and supporting multilingual pedagogies and teaching practices have been brought into the spotlight. How can educators manage a more culturally diverse classroom and ensure all children receive an equal education? In this article, we explore projects across Europe aimed at supporting inclusion in the classroom of children with different home languages.

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CLIL Lesson Plans | Teenagers | Onestopenglish

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In this section, you'll find CLIL lesson plans for a wide range of curriculum subjects as well as guidance on ways to teach CLIL and materials helping you to liven up your lessons.

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Beginners Bible (Bilingual) / La Biblia para principiantes (Bilingue) | Könyv kemény kötésű | Libristo - Magyarország

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Keres egy könyvet Beginners Bible (Bilingual) / La Biblia para principiantes (Bilingue) től: Zondervan? Vásárolja meg egy elismert boltban kedvező áron. Átvételi pontok Csehország egész területén 30 napos visszatérítéssel!