What Is It Like To Be Bilingual With English As A Second Language In The United States?

Picture by Foreign Policy, from

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2004/03/01/the_hispanic_challenge?page=full

80% people in the United States speak English at home, which means, one in five people in the U.S. have English as their second language (“The Advantages”). As shown in the graph above, the foreign born population living in the United States have increased significantly since 1960. In 2000, the countries with the largest foreign-born population in the U.S. all speak native languages, which means, most of them have English as a second language and do not mainly speak English at home. Where in 1960, out of the five countries listed on the graph, Canada and the United Kingdom both speak English as their first language, which did not contribute to the increase of the bilingual population in the United States (Foreign Policy). The foreigners with English as their second language helped increase the bilingual population, which has vastly expanded for the past three to four decades. Many people believe that it is a disadvantage to be an international student in the United States due to the very unfamiliar culture and a different language; however, there are also benefits being raised bilingual but spending time at a country that is not your own.

Coming from a foreign country that adapts a different dominant language, the foreign-born population with English as a second language has disadvantages like communication difficulties. Since most students in the United States have English as their first language, it is very easy for them to communicate in their mother tongue. However, it is particularly hard for international students who have English as their second language to understand slang or lingo that the general public in the United States knows. I interviewed multiple international students at Emma Willard School who have English as their second language, and a few of them mentioned that it is necessary for them to know a wide range of vocabularies in order to understand conversations. Despite of the language itself, the cultures that Americans and International students experience are very different, which may produce different views they have. For example, Asians are more conservative, and sometimes it is very awkward for them to talk about sex in casual daily conversations. Even the pop culture is totally different; foreigners listen to different genres of music and songs by different singers than Americans do. International students would feel left out when Americans talk about topics that foreigners are not familiar with, and that is the reason why international students are usually really closer with people who have similar backgrounds and values as they do, because in that way, they can feel homier in an unfamiliar land.

Other than differences in cultures, the disadvantages having English as a second language in the United States are difficulties learning in English. Since they are used to learning in a different language, international students struggle when everything is taught in English all of a sudden. They need to process the information in their heads, so it is necessary for them to think in their first language in order to understand the materials clearly after translating. According to Judith F. Kroll, cross-language activity happens in bilinguals, and she suggests that both languages are active when a bilingual reads. However, bilinguals need to establish a fundamental reorganization system of the language system instead of just knowing bits and parts of it (Kroll).

Another struggle is from the differences in teaching styles. Students are required to participate in class in order to achieve better class participation grades, but that is not the case for me back home. Before I attended high school in America, I was educated at a local school in Hong Kong. Asian education philosophy is that students learn from their teachers, or masters, and do not question or challenge them. Students learn mostly by memorizing, then producing the right or model answers at examinations. So it was a cultural shock when I attended high school in New York, when teachers encouraged students to voice opinions and formulate arguments, rather than looking for the right answers. Even though it was hard in the beginning, I really appreciated the American system because in this way, students can express their ideas and can raise questions to clarify things or even extend their knowledge.

Some people may think that having a second language will cause language delay or confusion for kids, but researchers pointed out that bilingual and monolingual kids reach a certain standard at around the same time. So, it is definitely an advantage when one possesses two "capabilities" rather than one, if one can speak two languages. When travelling around, it is convenient to know more than one language because it is easier to be able to communicate talking than using body language. There are advantages like being able to understand the labels of foreign products, being able to communicate in foreign countries, ability to understand books and movies in their original language or even make friends who speak a different language than your mother tongue.

Picture by Morning Calm News, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/imcomkorea/6687165073/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Other than the languages itself, The Center for Applied Linguistics suggested that being bilingual improves one’s performances at school and also problem solving skills, as well as the increase creativity (Moret). For bilinguals who have actively used their two languages their entire lives have a protection against decline in executive function that appears to be related to their bilingualism. This is due to the competitive nature of language processing for bilinguals and the constant language switch, which slows down the rate of ageing of a bilingual’s language process function (Kroll). Addition to that, Ellen Bialystok mentioned in her interview by the New York Times, that the constant use of two languages seems to slow down the Alzheimer’s disease symptoms five to six years on average. However, those bilinguals still have Alzheimer’s disease, but their brains cope with it better and for longer, and continued functioning at a higher level than monolinguals (Dreifus).

My uncle works in Manhattan, New York, and is also brought up as a bilingual. He was raised in Hong Kong, and moved to New York. When I interviewed him, he told me that the reason why he can get the job in the competitive banking market is not only because of his work skills and ability, but also because of the fact that he is bilingual. He speaks both English and Cantonese very fluently, and he communicates in both languages for his job. He suggested that language skills can definitely give one advantages in life, and work is a great example of it. Companies would look for people who are capable for more than one language, and one would have a better chance to participate in the international business. The U.S. president Barack Obama supported the idea of bilingual education, and he said that “if [one has] a foreign language, it is powerful tool to get a job” and one is “so much more employable (cjcs)”; companies are fond of bilinguals, because it makes it easier when it comes to the communications with foreign companies since companies now are getting more and more international.

Even though being a foreign student who speaks another language as first language is very hard and requires a decent amount of time for adaptation, being bilingual isn’t only useful at school, but also after the stage of education. Data from stateuniversity.com pointed out that about 60 to 75 percent of the World population is bilingual, and bilingual education is a common educational approach around that world, and is mandated in a lot of countries. I see the importance of advocating bilingual education in schools; even Barak Obama suggested that “[Americans] should have every child speak more than one language.” Instead of only obtaining skills from two languages, being a bilingual can help you understand the world as a whole better. We can understand the economy, culture and politics through different languages, and can help us see the world in a different perspective. As one of the student I interviewed said, “the more you can communicate and understand, the more you learn, and the more you learn, the more you know, and the better of you are.”