Term Papers on The Effects Of Bilingualism On Language Development

Term Paper Title	The Effects Of Bilingualism On Language Development
# of Words	1332
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	5.33

The Effects of Bilingualism on Language Development

Christopher Perez
Term Paper
Life-Span Development, PSY 407
Instructor:  Dr. Christina Rodriguez
November 24, 1998

Abstract
The effects of bilingualism on language development in children are examined.  Theories suggest that bilingual children are able to learn a second language after the first is mastered.  One of the reasons behind this is that the child has already developed the nonverbal concept of the word (because the child is already using it in the primary language), so only the verbal concept must be constructed.  It has been shown that balanced bilinguals are more cognitively and linguistically flexible.  However, unbalanced bilinguals generally show mixed results.

Introduction
Impact of Bilingualism
In California, bilingualism is a big issue.  Most people in California are not bilingual, but there is a large minority that does speak a second language.  Of those second languages, Spanish is by far the most widely spoken, mainly because of California's close proximity to Mexico.  Bilingualism is a hot topic in California's political arena as well.  The move to halt bilingual education is a prime example of this.  Although a large portion of the population speaks a second language, such as Spanish, there are those who trumpet the benefits of monolingualism in schools.  They cite the opinion that children will be confused in school and will not be able to differentiate between the two languages.
Theories of Adolescent Bilingualism
Cognitive Importance
The purpose of this paper is to explain the different effects that bilingualism affects cognitive processes, specifically language development.  When talking about how bilingualism affects language development, we are speaking of cognitive implications.  Bialystock and Hakuta (as cited in Seifert, Hoffnung, & Hoffnung, 1997) found that when children learn two languages equally well, and both languages are treated with respect among parents, teachers, and friends alike, the child's cognitive development is improved.  Apparently, if the child is able to use both languages interchangeably, then they are considerably more flexible in their cognitive processes.  These "balanced bilinguals" as they are called, are significantly more skilled at comprehending different syntactical structures.  On the other hand, what if a child does not lend equal weight to both languages and tends to rely on one more than the other (unbalanced bilingualism)?  Evidence suggests that even though the limited knowledge of the weaker language may help, the child usually experiences some sort of detrimental social reactions.  For instance, if the child is primarily a Spanish-speaker and English is the weaker language, then they tend to be looked down upon (Pease-Alvarez, as cited in Seifert, Hoffnung, & Hoffnung, 1997).  Because English holds more prestige in our society, people generally discredit those who do not speak it as well.  However, even if the child only has some knowledge of the second language, in some circumstances (most often if English is the primary language and Spanish or another language is the secondary), it can also carry more prestige.  The sword swings both ways on this issue, but for the most part it cannot do any real harm to the child.
Learning a Second Language
Another question is if a child already knows one language, is it easier to teach a second, or is it easier if the child learns them simultaneously?  According to one study, children who are bilinguals construct only one universal nonverbal concept for a word (Genesee, Nicoladis, & Paradis 1995).  That nonverbal concept is the basis for language.  From that concept, the verbal concept is developed.  Now, one verbal concept for each language is necessary, so if the child is bilingual, then two verbal concepts are necessary.  Since the nonverbal concept is already constructed, it would take less time to learn a second language and even a third or more.  All that is needed to learn a second or other language is t...

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