Week 9

Question 1

From monolingual to multilingual mindset

Answer 1

• Monolingual mindset describes the perception that monolingualism is the social norm
  
  • The monolingual mindset has significant ramifications for those of us who work with language - as it effects what we perceive to be the norm, standard and the ideal
  • Monolingual: Bias and assumptions
  • Speaking one language is not usually the norm across the world
  • Multilingual mindset: Sees languages as a mixture, allows us to think different speakers speak different languages
  • Far from uniform and perfect in semantic, fluency
  • Allows us to think of language in a way that it is the norm to have issues in semantics and fluency
    Multilingual mindset

Question 2

Defining Multilingualism

Answer 2

• Refers to any speaker with more than one language
  
  • Commonly used interchangeable with bilingualism
    Multilingual individuals vs multilingual community (e.g. Canada)

Question 3

What level of fluency is required

Answer 3

• Native-like speech
  
  • The ability to use common greetings
  • Competent speaker/listener who has skills in different languages (most accepted definition)
  • Simultaneous bilingualism: Typically exposed to multiple languages from birth
  • Sequential bilingualism: Typically active learning required (e.g. learning additional language at school)
  • Many researchers involved were monolingual themselves, so its based on a monolingual mindset e.g. Chomsky (single language acquisition)
    Although multilingualism is treated as a curiosity, it is actually the norm

Question 4

Attitudes towards multilingualism

Answer 4

• Parents deciding whether to send a kid to a normal/bilingual school
  
  • e.g. citizenship tests take cognitive tests which they couldn’t do as they didn’t know the language
  • Made them see intelligent but they weren’t fluent in English
  • Two conflicting viewpoints:
  • Children who were bilingual did better on general testing
  • The brain effort required to master two languages instead of one certainly diminishes the child’s power of learning other things which might ought to be learned
  • Vs
    One can now put forth a very persuasive argument that there is a definite cognitive advantage for bilingual over monolingual children in the domain of cognitive flexibility

Question 5

Advantages of multilingualism

Answer 5

• Large amounts of research suggests that there are many social and cognitive advantages of multilingualism
  
  • Largely based on studies of bilingual children in Canada (French/English speaking)
  • Greater mental flexibility
  • Greater divergent thinking
  • Stronger metalinguistic skills
  • Greater phonological awareness
  • Has cognitive advantages
  • Does not hinder ability to learn something new
  • Advantageous
  • Multilingual people with disabilities, there is no bad influence
  • Metalinguistics; Ability to think about language
    Social and wellbeing benefits

Question 6

Multilingualism and language acquisition

Answer 6

• Multi language development does not mirror monolingual language development, but fundamentally differs
  
  • A multilingual speakers language is multilingualism
  • When a multilingual speaker is speaking in one language (e.g. English) their brain is always in combined mode (e.g. multilingual)
  • A multilingual has access to two languages that interact with each other constantly
  • When one language is being activated, the other language is still being accessed
  • This can lead to code switching
  • A bilingual speaker does not consist of two monolingual speakers
  • Noam Chomsky: Language acquisition is natural
  • Bilingual speaker has access to multiple languages that interact with each other
  • Because of multilingual mode: Code switching
  • Young children can code switch appropriately from 18 months with no confusion
    Normal part of being multilingual

Question 7

Learning an additional language as an adult

Answer 7

• The common belief that there is a critical period for learning a second language may not be as accurate as once thought
  
  • Evidence of brain plasticity and flexibility into late adolescence/ adulthood
  • Suggests a non-critical person for language learning
    Factors such as motivation, time, consistency, exposure are likely as essential

Question 8

Language interference, language loss and fossilization

Answer 8

• What if one language becomes dormant or lost over time
  
  • Language interference, loss and fossilization can and do occur
  • Language interference: The imposition of one language onto another (e.g. pronunciation or syntactic features of one language effecting the other)
  • Language fossilization: Is where growth on language permanently ceases. This can arise due to lack of instruction or exposure
    Language loss: When one of the two languages (typically the native language) diminishes or disappears

Question 9

Maintaining multilingualism

Answer 9

• Maintaining multilingualism (e.g. when one maintains high levels of proficiency and balanced abilities) is possible only when certain conditions are met
  
  1. Need to communicate
  2. Access to language from speakers of that language
  3. Interaction, support and feedback from speakers of that language
     Time. It may take from 5 to 7 years to acquire nativelike abilities for classroom language. This occurs only if the child has a strong base in their L1; otherwise it may take up to 10-13 years

Question 10

The rises of Englishes

Answer 10

• English is present in many multilingual speakers repertoires
  
  • Le multilingualism with English is the international norm
  • When English replaces a persons home language, this can have detrimental effects leading to a stalling or disruption of overall language development of children
    Cummins suggests threshold hypothesis: proficiency in ones primary language must be attained for the cognitive benefits of multilingualism to be realized

Question 11

Thinking about the role of SP

Answer 11

• Knowledge of multilingualism allows us to take a combined approach to thinking about language proficiency
  
  • This has implications for how we think about assessments and interventions with bilingual and multilingual individuals
  • For instance assessment should occur across all languages and the results should not be looked at separately, bur rather interpreted as combined
    Treatment, intervention and assessment needs to be considered