What is Bilingualism?

A previously held thought: A person who is able to speak and understand 2 languages is a bilingual

Sign languages along with ordinary speech-type languages

Reading written form of a language without understanding or speaking the same languagefggh6

Different Varieties Bilingualism are as following:

Sign language and Speech-based languages

Two speech based languages

As a result a Bilingual is:

Therefore, a person is bilingual if she/he knows(a): two languages in the same modality (b): two languages based on different modalities

Nevertheless, despite controversies on variables to determine the required skills so as to be called ‘’bilingual’’, it is agreed upon the fact that reading and writing in another language may not denote bilingualism.

Also, ‘’ Bidalectalism” might not be deemed bilingualism despite mere differences between dialects across regions.

Child Bilingualism Vs Adult Bilingualism

Linguistic Development Stages in Children

Surge of research pivoted round children for their flexibility

A clear-cut understanding of concept of language on the part of adults.(Virginia Collier 1989)

It is believed to be both detrimental and beneficial, but how?

The first group contend that it bears much value since it:

Enables us to communicate with other cultures

Facilitates communications even inside some countries like Canada ,Switzerland

However, it can be source of cultural colonization, some believe, and thus is banned by tyrannical regimes such as North Korea or the Soviet Union(former USSR)

Detriments

Learning 2nd language at early ages would (a)retard or negatively influence the learning of native language or (b) intellectually retard the development of thinking and of such cognitive capacities as mathematics and reading

On the other hand, Most of the criticisms leveled against bilingualism at early ages were owing to the naïve conceptions and experimental methodologies