Bilingualism

Bilingualism
In todays global society, the ability to speak
more than one language is a valuable asset.
Americans fluent in languages other than
English enhance our economic competitiveness
abroad, improve global communication, help to
maintain our political and security interests, and
promote tolerance and intercultural awareness.
(Pratt, 2002; Sollors, 2002 in Working Together to
Build a Multilingual Society: brochure prepared by
the Center for Applied Linguistics).

 Research has found a positive link between

proficiency in more than one language and
cognitive and academic skills (Armstrong &
Rogers, 1997; Bialystock & Hakuta, 1994:
Cummins, 1992; Hakuta, 1986). Some studies
indicate that individuals who learn a second
language are more creative and better at solving
complex problems than those who do not
(Bamford & Mizokawa, 1991; Cummins, 1992).
Standardized test results show that students who
have focused on foreign language studies
routinely achieve among the highest scores in all
subjects tested (The SAT College Board, 2002).

Definition of the term:

The state of a linguistic community in which
two languages are in contact with the result
that two codes can be used in the same
interaction (Hamers and Blanc, 2000)
The native-like control of two languages
(Bloomfield, 1935)
The ability to use more than one language
(Mackey, 1962)
The individuals capacity to speak a second
language while following the concepts and
structures of that language rather than
paraphrasing his or her mother tongue
(Titone, 1972)

Other terms associated to

bilingualism:
Submersion: the situation encountered by
some children wherein they must make a
home-school language switch, while others
can already function in the school language
(Cummins, 1986)
Immersion: situation in which children from
the same linguistic and cultural background
who have had no prior contact with the school
language are put together in a classroom
setting in which the second language is used
as the medium of instruction (Cummins,
1986)

As given by The Washington Post:

Total Immersion:For the first few
years, preferably starting in
kindergarten, students learn all
subjects in the non-English language.
They might have a small amount of
additional English development as
well. By about third grade, the
program transitions, and students
learn about half of their lessons in
English and the other half in the
partner language.

 Partial Immersion:Starting from the

first year, students cover about half of
the curriculum in English and half in
another language. As is the case with
total immersion, lessons are not
repeated in both languages, but
material in a unit can be taught in
either.

 Two-Way Immersion:This typically

describes the demographics of a
class in which about half of the
students are native English speakers
and half are native speakers of the
partner language. Two-way programs
can be total or partial.

Characteristics of immersion
education:
Additive bilingualism with sustained and enriched
instruction through the minority language and the
majority language is promoted
Subject area instruction through the minority language
occurs for at least 50% of the school day during the
elementary school years
Teachers are fully proficient in the language(s) they
use for instruction
Support for the majority language is strong and
present in the community at large
Clear and sustained separation of languages during
instructional time
(CARLA: The Center for Advanced Research In
Language Acquisition)

What we do at East Elementary

Our population:
English and Spanish native speakers.

The language of instruction:

Kindergarten: Spanish (90%), English (10%)
1st grade -5th grade: Spanish (50%), English
(50%)

 We follow the principles of immersion

education to provide the same academic
content that is provided in a regular English
program.
In kindergarten, the subject area instruction
is provided in Spanish by a proficient
speaker of the language (a native speaker).
The students receive 10 % of the instruction
in English during their enhancements:
music, PE, technology, among others.
In the grades 1st through 5th the instruction
occurs in Spanish and English alternatively.
100% of the instruction is given in Spanish
on a day A, and 100% of the instruction is
given in English on a day B, by native
speakers in both cases.

What are the most important things for parents or early

childhood educators to know about early childhood
bilingualism?
There are number of important things to keep in mind:

Bilingual acquisition is a common and normal childhood

experience
All children are capable of learning two languages in childhood
Knowing the language of one's parents is an important and
essential component of children's cultural identity and sense of
belonging
Bilingual acquisition is facilitated if children have sustained, rich,
and varied experiences in both languages
Proficiency in both languages is more likely if children have
sustained exposure in the home to the language that is used less
extensively in the community; the language that is used more
widely will get support outside the home
Parents can facilitate bilingual proficiency by using the language
they know best and by using it in varied and extensive ways

Genesee, 2001

Interesting facts:
The Spanish-speaking population is the fastest
growing language group in the United States. In
2007, 45.5 million Latinos lived in this country,
constituting 15.1% of the U.S. population (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2008) CAL
Over 32 million people in the United States
speak Spanish at home (Pew Hispanic Center,
2006; U.S. Census Bureau, 2005).
Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 49% of the
countrys growth from 2004 to 2005; 70% of
that growth is in children younger than five
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). In Los Angeles,
nearly 40% of residents older than 5 speak
Spanish at home. CAL

 The number of Spanish language

radio stations, television programs,
and newspapers has grown
significantly, with over 600 Spanish
radio stations and 500 Spanish
language newspapers. (CAL)
The Center for Applied Linguistics
keeps a database of programs in the
United States that includes 310
foreign language immersion
programs in 263 schools across 33
states and 83 school districts.

 In 2010, there were 50.5 million Hispanics

in the United States,
composing 16
percent of the total population. Between
2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population
grew by 43 percentrising from 35.3
million in 2000, when this group made up
13 percent of the total population.

The Hispanic population increased by

15.2
million between 2000 and 2010,
accounting for over half of the 27.3 million
increase in the total population of the
United States.

Nearly every sector of our

increasingly
global economy and culturally
diverse
workforce needs multilingual,
cross-culturally aware workers.
Maria Carreira & Regla
Armengol,
Heritage Languages in America:
Preserving a National Resource

Bibliography

http://www.cal.org/sns/
http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/faqs.html
http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf
Carreira, M., & Armengol, R. (2001). Professional
opportunities for heritage language speakers in Working
Together to Build a Multilingual Society-brochure by the
Center for Applied Linguistics
Genesee, Fred. Bilingual Acquisition (2001)
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_
view.aspx?ArticleID=38
Hamers, Josiane F. & Blanc, Michel H. A. Bilinguality and
Bilingualism (2000) Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Pratt, M.L. (2002). Whats foreign and whats familiar? in
Working Together to Build a Multilingual Society-brochure by
the Center for Applied Linguistics.