Bilingualism & biculturalism

Running Head : BILINGUALISM AND BICULTURALISM

Bilingualism and Biculturalism (Research Outline

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A . INTRODUCTION

Bilingualism and biculturalism are intertwined terms that have influenced the social model of modern society . As everyday passes by the world keeps getting smaller and we continue conforming to the cultural norms of the global society . While bilingualism helps us to keep our native language intact , biculturalism reminds of our true roots . In a world with diminishing cultural boundary

lines , bilingualism and biculturalism are critical factors that help preserve one 's cultural identity

Bilingualism

Bilingualism is basically the ability to comprehend and effectively communicate in two languages . However , various experts have their own definition of bilingualism with certain nuances . For instance , a bilingual is one who is recognized as a native speaker by natives of both languages , according to a French linguist named Thiyry (Chan 2 In recent times , the ability to construct and express complete meaningful sentences is considered adequate for one to achieve bilingualism

B . Ways to measure bilingualism

Bilingualism can be measured by evaluating the level of mastery of listening , speaking , reading and writing skills in both languages . Most bilinguals have superior command over one language compared to the other , as it is not very common for an individual to have equal mastery of both languages . Likewise , some bilinguals can understand a language better than they speak it they are commonly referred to as receiving bilinguals . It is generally accepted among the linguist community that knowing a minimum of five thousand words in a language is necessary to carry out effective communication

C . Types of bilingualism

Various types of bilingualism have been found to exist as linguists continue to study the reasons and methods governing the existence of bilingualism . Sometimes , learning a second language might lead to the deterioration of ones native language . This negative impact over a person 's native language is called as subtractive bilingualism . However if second language proficiency is achieved without causing any negative impact one 's mother tongue , then it is known as additive bilingualism When an individual 's communication skills improve in general from the mastery of a second language , it is known as ascendant bilingualism

In countries where people speaking a certain language are frowned upon there is a tendency to conceal one 's native language owing to the fear of being stigmatized . This phenomenon is known as covert bilingualism On the other hand , some nations in the world have two official languages , as a result of having people from different cultural backgrounds speaking two different languages . Although not all people in the country speak or understand both the languages , such a country is known to exhibit societal bilingualism

Bilingualism can be classified into infant bilingualism and artificial bilingualism , based on the nature of acquiring bilingualism . Infant bilingualism is a native way of acquiring both languages simultaneously right from a very early age when a child begins to talk . This way...