Obtaining Bilingualism

Integrating cultural diversity in the study of English as a second language and its programs for bilingualism would benefit both children and adult students. Students of both languages benefit equally in obtaining bilingualism. The major benefit is that a bilingual person can have an interesting social life by being able to converse with a variety of individuals of two different cultures. They can appreciate two genres of literature and two world views. There are also economic advantages for bilinguals, because there is an increasing demand for them in the new global economy. Children who are bilingual, especially those in language minority communities should dedicate themselves to maintaining their native language in order to preserve their ethnic ties and cultural continuity. A classroom setting which offers equal opportunity for speakers of both languages is ideal for achieving these goals.

There is a common field of thought that there is a critical period for acquisition of a second language; and that this results in very young children learning a language much more easily than adults do. While this may be to a certain extent true, older learns can and do learn languages with native-like proficiency if they are so gifted, motivated or learn in the right conditions. If a person learning English were not living in an English speaking environment, it would require extra special effort, more time and daily exposure in one form or another. This goes for the learning of any other language, if you are not living in the country where the natives speak it on an everyday basis.

Teachers should be aware of the individual needs of their students, in order to use a range of skills and achieve a successful program. Asking the following questions can be helpful.

• Do any of your students need English for business?
• Are there any of them who need it for medical purposes; to be able to communicate with their doctor for example?
• Are there any who need help in applying for a job, or interacting in a job interview?

Teachers should also be aware that the student’s first or native language plays a significant role in learning English as a second language, both linguistically and socio-culturally. Decide on how you want to perceive culture and which aspects of culture you wish to portray to promote cultural understanding. You may want to use art, history, festivals, celebrations or food for example, or a combination of some of these. The ultimate goal of learning a second language is to learn about and to live and/or work in different societies and cultures. Hispanic students in English classes in the United States, Arabic students in English classes in Britain, French students in English classes in Canada, all demonstrate this concept of bilingualism in learning English as a second language. It is not only about learning a new language, but also about understanding a different culture.

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