BY:

Yean Kek Fong (B10204)

Subashiny Krishnamurthy (B10153)
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
Alice Durga Rathinam (B10128)
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 Discuss
cognitive advantages
&
disadvantages of bilingualism
in
children and adults

2
What is bilingualism ?

Ability to communicate naturally

and fluently in more than one
languages in all area of life

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Who are bilinguals ?

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 Children

Simultaneous bilinguals

Learned 2 languages at the

same time in early
childhood.
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 Adults
Sequential
Bilinguals

Learned 1 language later then

the other.

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 Advantages

Metalinguistic
Awareness

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 Cognitive flexibility
Divergent thinking Convergent thinking

Measured by providing Measured by providing

a person with a starting a number of pieces of
point for thought and information where a
asking them to generate person must synthesize
a whole series of to get the correct
permissible solutions. answer.

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Cognitive flexibility

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Metalinguistic Awareness
 Ability to identify and describe characteristics and
features of language in term of how they are integrated
into the wider language system.
 Are knowledge about language
 Obtain better semantic development and classification
skills

Phonological Metalinguistic Word Awareness

Awareness Awareness
(sound units )

Syntactic Awareness
(Grammatical) 10
Communicative Sensitivity

Participant’s level of awareness

about what is going on in any
particular language interaction.

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 Communicative Sensitivity

More sensitive Pick up clues Code switching

to the needs of and cues about solve cognitive
listeners when to switch tasks.
languages.
Research
Literature

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Cummins & Gulutsan
(1974)

Enhance greater
ability & verbal
originality.

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 Field Independence

Children

more field
independent
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 Common Underlying
Proficiency(CUP)

Developed by Jim Cummins

Shows the working of the mind
in

relation to bilingual acquisition

Also known as the Iceberg
Analogy. 15
Common Underlying
Proficiency(CUP)
The level of competence a
child
attains at a certain point in
a
second language dependent
on
the level of competence
already
achieved in their first
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language.
 Common Underlying
Proficiency(CUP)
The interdependent of concept skills and
knowledge found in a centre processing system.

Cognitive and literacy skills established in the

mother tough or first language will transfer across
languages

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 CUP Model

2 iceberg 2 languages which overlap

and share

Water line A common underlying

proficiency or
operating system 18

Both language are outwardly
distinct

But supported by shared
concepts
and knowledge derived
from

Learning Cognitive and

and linguistic abilities
experience of the learners

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 Common Underlying
Proficiency(CUP)

Deeper level of cognitive processing
e.g. : synthesis, analysis, evaluation
is necessary to academic progress


Children &
adults :
If achieved threshold of cognitive
proficiency
No difficulties in achieving bilingual
proficiency 20
Bilingualism creates connective reserve

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 Cognitive advantages
Enhance attention and cognitive control
(children and adult)

Children

sharpen the brain & the ability to

focus while ignoring irrelevant

information

better learner in school.
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Delays the age related
diseases

New neurobiology research :

Bilingualism particularly in early

childhood enhance the concentration
and protect against the onset of
dimensia and other age related
illness.
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Potential Disadvantages
of Bilingualism among
children and adults

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 Disadvantages

Acquire language more slowly

than monolinguals.

(collier 1995: Hamayan & Damico 1991)

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 Disadvantages
Start speaking 3-6 months later

Learn one language first & add a

second one later during school time.

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 Disadvantages

Temporary mixing of
Languages till the age of 4.

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 Disadvantages
The size/ amount of vocabulary

(Pearson Fernandez Collar 1993)

Preschool bilingual children's vocabulary

scores are often lower than monolingual
children.

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 Disadvantages

The time/exposure of the children to

the certain language effects the
numbers of vocabularies in that
language.

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 Disadvantages

Delay in language acquisition of

past tense.

This delay is faced by children

aged between 4-6 years old.

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 Disadvantages
Bilingual children use fewer
correct past tense-specially
irregular past tense.

gooded

runned

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 Disadvantages
Smaller *receptive & productive
vocabularies.

*Receptive: willing to listen to or

accept new ideas or suggestions.
Verbal fluency tests.

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 Disadvantages

Great bilingual disadvantage on

semantic than on letter fluency.

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 Disadvantages

Added academic load

Reading/writing

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 Disadvantages
Usually are either better at one
language & worse at the other.

Example: Let's say a person knows English

& Chinese. He may be more comfortable
reading English newspapers & take more
time with chinese newspaper.

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 Conclusion
Various studies have proven that


bilingualism is not a disadvantage

where there is need to prevent from

children & adult.

It is a gift of life to be bilingual.
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