However; the addition of another language (for the most part) can only serve to broaden a growing minds perception of language and culture. This expansion Is particularly advantageous when the Introduction of two languages occur multitudinously, I. E. When the “mother tongue” and the ;father tongue differ, or when a puns child speaks one language at home and another In the schoolyard.
In an article for The Huffing Post, columnist John Benson alerts readers to the tact that researchers trot the college to Medicine at the multiversity to Kentucky believe that early bilingualism helps arrest later memory loss due to Alchemists and dementia. Yet another advantage to cognitive bilingualism introduces The Interdependence Hypothesis. Proposed by Dry. James Cummins trot the University to Toronto, this hero suggests that prior cognitive competence in one language can advance learning in another.
Also known as developmental interdependence, the hypothesis proposes that the development of competence in a second language (12) is partially a function of the type of competence already Marches 2 developed in the first language (Al) at the time when intensive exposure to LA begins,” He continues, the threshold” hypothesis proposes that there may be threshold levels of linguistic competence which a bilingual child must attain both in order to avoid cognitive disadvantages and allow the potentially beneficial aspects of linguistic to influence his cognitive and academic functioning’ The threshold hypothesis could therefore prove to be an obstacle for those children without sufficient cognitive abilities to begin with, and further exposure to more stimulation could merely prove to be a (potentially) harmful distraction Piglet’s theory of cognitive development considers the ages between owe and seven as a child’s most receptive period with regards to language and other cognitive stages (not uncoil;dentally, also the same time frame In which the Jesuits claim that If given a child annul he Is seven, he will be theirs for life). NOAA Chomsky theory of naturals (text IPPP) posits “… The grammars for human language are too complex and abstract to be learned on the basis of the type of experience to which children have access. ” Therefore, It Is argued that the complexity of some of the grammatical principles Involved In cognitive development are Inborn, or Innate.
Magma Nonstick, a Polish trend from Glasgow has a three year old son called Jack who Initially babbled a mish- mash to Polish and English but has now differentiated language Into what he recognizes as how he talks to mum and his Polish grandparents, and how he talks to ad and his Scottish grandparents. This demonstrates cognitive articulation and an awareness to language without necessarily a knowing translation to vocabulary, ergo: Jack understands the meaning of, and can point to a physical ice cube, but can he tell a non-English or Polish speaker what he means without physical evidence? He can, because he has the ability to describe a small Marches 3 square of frozen water.
And he does it with signing, facial expression, and sound. Pretty soon, the adults are aware that “stake-loud” in Polish translates to “ice cube” in English phonetically, if not necessarily grammatically. Cube of ice is perfectly fine for comprehension, but Jack will understand eventually that “ice cube” is a more efficient use of language. Magma inadvertently related to Dry. Spooks maxim to “trust your own instincts; you know more than you think you do. ” From a purely practical point of view, Magma has opened an avenue of communication which benefits three generations through Jack. However, there may be issues when Jack attends school in the Scottish town of Aberdeen.
He may choose to assimilate himself in order to blend, and refuse to speak Polish at home with his mother. When I spoke to Magma over the phone she admitted that this was one of her greatest concerns. She asserted that, “The need of (sic) children to belong may possibly make Jack embarrassed to be half Polish, and not the same as his classmates. ” But, she continues, “he’ll appreciate his bi-lingual ability in the long run. ” Thanks to the oil industry, Aberdeen boasts a rich and diverse community; therefore Jack will not be the only progeny of foreign parents. Magma herself switches effortlessly from one language to another (despite the fact that her English was poor in school, she managed to acquire her command of
English through immersion) and seamlessly translates without apparent difficulty or process. She also perceives idiomatic phrases. Comprehension is her task for Jack. According to Magma, Jacks bi-linguist can only benefit his intellectual growth and it is of paramount importance that he can communicate with his Polish grandparents. Marches 4 In another scenario; a neighboring Polish couple with a young son close to school age have never exposed their son to anything but the Polish language, including: watching only satellite Polish TV. : interacting with predominantly Polish families hen socializing, and reading only Polish books and periodicals in the home.
In keeping with Cummins’ “threshold” hypothesis, their contention is that their son is better off with a basis in and a grasp of one language before he faces immersion in another once he starts school. They are confident that his English will be sufficient for his age and educational needs within a few months. This may well be the case. Anecdotal evidence from an Italian acquaintance would appear to support this approach; Roberto claims that although he spoke only Italian tilt the age of five, he Anton recall having any difficulty in acquiring English once he started school. Essentially, by conversing in Italian at home and English outside the home, he has maintained fluency in the vocabulary and grammar of both languages.
