130 replies to this topic

[Victorious]

I'm not bilingual but actually trilingual. I speak three languages fluently - English, Kutchi and Swahili. All together I know seven languages. The three other ones I just mentioned are inclusive. I believe it's a fairly good thing to be bilingual. It allows you to attain various opportunities. For example I wanted to become hieroglyphist? And I needed to know three languages - all compulsory and those were English, Arabic and German. I have no idea why I needed German but eh. It also shows that you're embracing other people's cultures.

[krystinawashereXD]

What kind of question is this? O.o
Being bilingual actually is better for you; it helps you get better jobs, and you can communicate with different people.
If it was bad to be bilingual, we wouldn't have to learn a second language in the IB!

[Taj Pereira]

It is generally believed that bilingualism is beneficial for cognitive function .

[Stein]

IMPORTANT FACT: More languages = More money

[The Economist]

Mrs.Stein, on Mar 11, 2012 - 03:46, said:

IMPORTANT FACT: More languages = More money

Yes because you don't learn a language to communicate with people from different cultures, to comprehend the ideology of other individuals, to travel and connect with the rest of the world. We need money, people. Money is everything.

[Summer Glau]

Mrs.Stein, on Mar 11, 2012 - 03:46, said:

IMPORTANT FACT: More languages = More money

What do you mean by more money? A higher-paid job? If so, then this is not necessarily true. You will only get paid more if you actually use more than one language in your day-to-day job. If you are fluent in French, Russian, Afrikaans, Greek, and English and you apply for a job where the only language required is English, then do you really think your employer will care if you speak four other languages? You will get paid the same amount of money as someone who only speaks English. Looking at it from a financial perspective (which is what you are looking at it from), knowing all the other languages will be of no use to you...

[Award Winning Boss]

Mrs.Stein, on Mar 11, 2012 - 03:46, said:

IMPORTANT FACT: More languages = More money

Learn languages for the sake of improving yourself rather than the money you'll enjoy it a lot more

Spoiler

curse my horrible language skills

[macrofire]

I read this in an article and it sort of makes sense. Being bilingual gives your brain a tough workout, which would decrease brain work efficiency, initially. This workout does make the brain work to combat this deficiency and in the process bolsters cognitive skills...if I remember correctly. At any rate, because of the extra work-out, bilingual speakers, or polyglots in general, will have a significantly lesser chance of contracting Alzheimer's etc.

I think.

[Beni]

I like being able to speak more than just 1 language, it opens many doors.
Additionally, my situation somewhat requires it
Native languages are English and German but I live in Luxembourg and also speak that language. I also speak French because the official administrative language here is French and 2 of the 3 neighboring countries also use it.
And yes, I do generally use all 4 languages a day, some more than others.
Obviously it can get very confusing, especially since German-Luxembourgish are very similar and when it comes to English-French some words can be almost identical and so I sometimes accidentally make up words when speaking French

Oh, and because of all those languages I have a weird accent in each language

[funny10sport]

Bilingualism is good. Great even! (Even more so, if you could speak more than two languages).
Here in Canada, if you are bilingual, (to be more specific, I meant bilingual in English and French) you have better chances at getting jobs and having higher recommendations.

But not only that, the fact that you can converse with more people because you speak various languages is wonderful. You are no longer restricted to one specific language, but you can speak two, thus improving global communication.

And along with every language, there is a culture behind it. When you learn a language, you often (if you're willing) learn about a different culture too! Then that creates a wider understanding between different nations and communities.

[Jasmeena]

My oppinion is that bilingualism is amazing!!!! And I would be strongly for it!! Anywhere, anytime, any languanges
My mother is Slovenian and my father is Bosnian and one of my... cousins is English. I know those are two similar languanges (Slovenian and Bosnian), but English isn't, and I live in Croatia. And the fact is that I grew up with the knowledge of all four languanges and I'm doing great now! it feels soo right to speak with a Slovenian on their native languange, and with anyone else with another. It feels really natural to be speaking in any of those languanges, maybe just because I've been learning all of them simultaneously and, well I think they're equal in importance for me, and should be that way.. It lead to some problems when I was little when I mixed up some of Slovenian and Bosnian words for the Croatian ones, and tend to do it now (rarely, but I do ), and sometimes I just wasn't able to think of the Croatian word for something (I can't even now ) so I just said sth in English or Slovenian. And I haad some problems when teachers asked to draw or express the flow of my thoughts and I wasn't sure in which languange were they, so it all came out really messed up ...
So, although there is the danger (?) of forgetting a languange, and loosing it's identity it is possible to learn all languanges (in a country, or region) simultaneously because they all usually derive from the same languange. And even if not, if bilingualism is such a problem for someone, he can choose to learn both languanges but only focus on one (their thoughts, spoken languange) and when necessary - speak the other languange.
All in all, in my oppinion, bilingualism can only bring good things. New words to different languanges, new cultures... It just broadens our horizons, and as an IB student... well, you know my answer... I'M ALL FOR BILINGUALISM!