Discourse analysis

4th”A” Lenguas Vivas

Definition essay Luciano Cardozo
Bilingualism

Language is one typical feature that characterizes humanity. It is because of

language that we are able to communicate with people and to express feelings and

ideas. Surprisingly, the idea that the majority of the world’s population is either bilingual

or multilinguali can suggest that our brain has evolved to work in more than one

language. But, what is bilingualism and why would people learn a complete new

language?

According to the online etymology dictionary (etymonline.com), the adjective

bilingual comes from the Latin bilinguis which meant literally "two-tongued," and,

figuratively, "speaking a jumble of languages," also "double-tongued, hypocritical,

false."ii Anyway, there are several terms referring to the ability among people to speak

languages, monolingualism, bilingualism and multilingualism are three of them. While

monolingualism refers to the ability to use only one language, Multilingualism is

attributed to people with the ability to use two or more languages. Finally, “bilingualism

is a term used by some linguists and psychologists to refer to the ability to use two

languages” (Saville-Troike, 2007).iii

It is a fact that “around the world, more than half of people – estimates vary

from 60 to 75 per cent – speak at least two languagesiv” (Vince 2016). Then why would

a person learn a language apart from his or her mother tongue? The answer may be in

the different contexts in which people have to use language as a way of

communication. That is to say, people may learn an additional language as a result of

the necessities of the society in which they are part of.

Nowadays, people choose to learn new languages due to job, tourism or

geographical reasons. For example, a woman who needs to know English in order to
work as a secretary in a hotel or an English speaking person who is going for a holiday

to China. Another example could be the inhabitants from Puerto Iguazú, since they

need to know Spanish and Portuguese because they are near the Brazilian border.

Then, the necessity of an additional language is highly influenced by the needs of a

determined society. That is to say, bilingualism is determined by sociocultural factors.

Personally, the advantage of knowing a second language, gave me the

opportunity to communicate with people from other parts of the world and to establish

solid friendships. In addition, in some future this second language may give me the

opportunity to get a stable job. Therefore, the benefits of being bilingual go further the

purpose of communication and taking everything into account, the definition of

bilingualism goes deeper than the ability to use two languages. Bilingualism is the

knowledge of two or more languages that are learned for different purposes influenced

for internal or external conditions imposed by the society.

REFERENCES

i The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual. (2012, October 31). Retrieved from
http://dana.org/Cerebrum/2012/The_Cognitive_Benefits_of_Being_Bilingual/
ii Bilingual (adj.). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.etymonline.com/word/bilingual
iii Saville-Troike, M. (2007). Introducing second language acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.
iv Vince, G. (2016, August 12). Future - The amazing benefits of being bilingual. Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160811-the-amazing-benefits-of-being-bilingual
W. (2017, June 03). What Does Bilingual Mean? When Can I be Called Bilingual? Retrieved
from https://bilingualkidspot.com/2017/06/04/what-does-bilingual-mean-definition/