The Benefits Of Bilingual Education And The Issue Of Suppression Of Non-English Languages In American Schools
In nations with significant indigenous populations such as the United States, assimilation into bilingualism has been strategically realized through different approaches of deculturation where indigenous languages have been suppressed. However, this was not the case until 1968, when bilingual education was recognized as a national policy. Before then, in the early 20 century, there was a massive dominance of the nationalistic policies in America in response to the vast wave movement of immigrants into America. According to the nationalistic orientation, an increase in language diversity and bilingualism would constitute a threat to social unity in America. Most of the nationalists believed that immigrant loyalties to native culture and language would cause a social threat to their cultural and linguistic assimilation into America. This resulted in the passing of English-only nationalistic policies and the adoption of programs that used English as the exclusive instructional language. The assimilationist orientation held by the nationalists was institutionalized by the abolishing of bilingualism in public schools and cutting off funding for church and private schools. Nonetheless, American schools are suppressing the English-only nationalistic policies and adopting bilingualism, which is equally delivering outstanding benefits since the adoption of the Bilingual Education Act.
Benefits of bilingualism
Unlike the understanding of bilingualism during the early 20 century, where nationalistic policymakers and researchers considered bilingualism interference and hindrance of the cognitive function that negatively affected learners' development, ample evidence has been provided on its benefits. The evidence suggests that bilingualism interference pushes the brain to resolve an internal conflict, which results in cognitive development compared to monolinguals. In a 2012 study by Barac and Bialystok, they studied Spanish-English bilinguals, Chinese-English bilinguals, French-English bilinguals, and English monolinguals to investigate the bilingual influence on cognitive development (Barac and Bialystok 413 - 422). Barac and Bialystok found that all the bilingual groups exceeded monolinguals' performance on executive tasks.
Further, collective evidence from other studies suggests that bilingualism improves the executive function of the brain. Since the brain executive function involves directing attention processes, it means that bilinguals portray a higher mastering in solving problems, making decisions, planning, among other activities requiring attention like remembering. Primarily, bilingualism heightens the ability to monitor the surroundings as it requires keeping track of changes. For example, a bilingual might have to use two languages interchangeably. When it comes to flexible thinking ability, bilinguals exhibit a high sense of creativity as their competence diversifies their thinking of new and different ideologies acquired through another language. Despite language barriers that may be experienced, such as dialect, bilingualism increases the opportunities for superiority in terms of linguistic, academic, and cognitive performance. This could be based on the awareness that a bilingual acquires as they learn an additional language and assimilate the acquired knowledge and ideas with what they already know.
In appreciation of the various advantages of communicative competence of bilingualism, bilingualism increases the communicative abilities of the Individuals. As bilinguals learn the new language, there is a significant transfer of phonological features, particularly in the existence of phonological entry commonalities. Such transfer is beneficial in learning as it enhances the linguistic competence of bilinguals in other languages also, bilingualism broader the exposure context of distinct literacy resources across linguistic barriers. Through bilingualism, it helps in the orientation of the brain in that it stimulates communicative and linguistic awareness, equally improving communication abilities. This is evident in Barac and Bialystok's study as they examine how education, language, and cultural background enhance linguistic development among bilinguals.
Additionally, bilingualism has been associated with cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. As mentioned earlier, on the benefits of bilingualism on executive control systems, this cognitive activity drops with healthy aging. With the idea that stimulating mental practices hinder cognitive decline, they continue to benefit the brain as individuals age. However, bilingualism delivers constant pressure on the brain executive control in managing attention to the different languages, which means that this continuous mental practice enhances the cognitive reserve. Based on this logic, it means that bilinguals can deal with the onset of Alzheimer's disease effectively compared to their monolingual counterparts (Białystok 230). In consideration of cognitive performance across the lifespan of an individual, with infants continuing to old age, people spending their lives, bilingual individuals reveal significant differences.
In the classroom context, bilingualism exhibits high academic performance. Often, bilinguals can have a stereoscopic view of the world from different language and cultural perspectives. Such capacities enhance flexibility in learning and thinking. The knowledge of two languages or more enables an individual to grasp Information as it facilitates interaction with the learning experiences. On numerous occasions, bilinguals find themselves in constant reference to vocabulary books and the dictionary as they try to master new words, phrases, and understand the meaning as well. As a result, this improves their ability to learn and recall vocabulary better compared to monolingual students. Bilingualism enables a learner to have a broader context of opportunities to understand language and transfer knowledge, consequently making it easy for them to learn cognates across languages. Also, learning a new language requires mastery of concepts and rules. Through bilingualism, it benefits students in the American classroom by providing them with a wide range of different strategies equipping them with requisite skills to handle rules and concepts that control language and culture, among other aspects relating to bilingualism (Chibaka 15). Correspondingly, bilingual learners portray a high sense of self-control, which has been numerously used as an indicator of instruction in school.
As the debate about bilingualism is centered on language and significantly involves culture, bilingualism has helped in fostering students' authentic cultural identities. For instance, heritage language students' identities are assured to change as they learn languages to adjust to the dominant culture of American schools. Often, events of cultural identity play a significant role in the general equation for educational equality in the sense that it influences how people perceive and respond to others, which in one way or the other shapes self-identity. With various issues surrounding bilingualism such as ethnicity and race, learning a new language does not mean loss of cultural identity or acquisition of the cultures of the new language since one retains identification with their native culture. By challenging the arguments concerning the necessity of minority assimilation in the American culture, bilingualism furthers the objectives of social justice and students' self-determination hence maintaining authentic cultural identities. In other cases, bilingualism enhances the recognition and respect of culture and language that guarantees the ability to develop a sense of biculturalism. Along with this sense of biculturalism, the students can make broader and better choices.
The suppression of non-English languages
Despite the significant challenges that faced bilingualism in the early 20 century from the nationalistic individuals, American learning institutions are striving to suppress persons with English-only nationalistic approaches. The population of bilinguals has dramatically amplified in the past two decades. According to a recent analysis, approximately 5.12 million students who enrolled from preschool through the twelfth grade (p - 12) in 2004-05 academic year reported, were emergent bilinguals, which was about 10.5% of the total P-12 students. Further, in the last 15 years, the emergent bilingual population has risen by above 110% (García et al. 8 - 17).
Tracing back to the 1960s during the Chicago civil rights movement, various reform were developed to suppress the English-only nationalistic individuals such as the abolition segregation of Mexican-American students. Such practices resulted in the development of the first bilingual programs that are still being developed. Today, the majority of American schools have maintained the introduction of bilingual programs to ensure that students are empowered, and willing students can learn new languages. Despite the specific linguistic needs, American schools are adjusting to the formulated plans that an consequently suppressing the ideologies and arguments offered by individuals with English only nationalistic policies. Although some schools have not fully implemented the necessary practice to promote bilingualism, they are actively getting involved as they interact with students from varying cultures.
Furthermore, American schools are taming the English-only nationalists by undertaking specific research and investigations to investigate the various benefits and differences between bilingual and monolingual students on academic achievement between the two groups. Under varying research standards, longitudinal studies conforming the second and initial language literacy development of language in implemented bilingualism programs, case studies of working bilingual programs, and ethnographic studies on instructional activities are shedding light on the policy concerns on language minority education in America. Primarily, the reviews are aimed at distinguishing evidence-based arguments and separate facts from myths. In most of the studies conducted by different people. Researchers in American schools outline the various benefits that bilingualism has delivered to the lemurs, comparing them to monolinguals. From the research findings, one can establish that bilingualism has had tremendous gains in learning Instruction and academic achievement. By developing such arguments, the American school teachers and researchers form a strong basis to ensure that they provide reliable information to counter biased arguments provided by nationalistic individuals.
In most cases, English-only nationalistic individuals argue that diversification of languages in America is likely to result in social conflict, particularly with the numerous events of immigration. Also, most of their arguments are politically biased as they do not provide substantial information concerning the actual demerits of bilingualism. As such, this has made it easier for researchers in American schools to develop ideologies that suppress individuals with English-only nationalistic approaches. Also, from such lines of research, they have brought new information and insight to address problems within a particular group of students. Through the built insights and proper lessons, this has aided American scholars as they develop counter-arguments on English-only nationalism views (Wiley 511 - 535).
Since the English-only nationalistic relates bilingualism with immigration, American schools are developing significant measures to ensure that students do not discriminate against others based on their language. According to English-nationalistic individuals, they consider the English language as part of the American culture claiming that every individual in American should adopt and learn the culture. Nonetheless, this might not be the case since one of the essential aspects of culture and language is based on respect for another person's culture. Through various means that educate the American learners on the importance of diversity, the American schools have managed to provide results on the positive impacts of bilingualism, making it difficult for individuals with English-only nationalistic approaches to deliver wrong claims about bilingualism.
Today, there is increased linguistic diversity among students in American schools. Supported by both the parents and other American native children, American schools are stopping the English-only nationalistic individuals by involving the Human Rights Law. The English-only proponents are afraid that immigrants into the U.S. might resist assimilating into the American culture hence resulting in drastic practices in various schools. However, some of the schools are leading to legal practices to fight for equal education rights. By refusing to adopt Anglo-Saxon values, American schools are requiring that reinforcement and fair recognition of cultures and languages be adopted (Wiley 511 - 535). Also, as the support for English-only policies can be recognized as a nationalistic action to demographic changes brought by immigration, the American schools are provided sustainable evidence in courts as they seek for better rights and freedom. Hence, such practices have played a vital role in suppressing people with English-only nationalistic approaches.
Conclusion
It is difficult to talk about bilingualism without including culture and other approaches such as nationalism. However, based on various studies, there have been different benefits of bilingualism compared to monolingual counterparts. For instance, as mentioned earlier, bilingualism bas delivered higher academic achievement, cognitive developments, as well as the delaying of Alzheimer's disease. Correspondingly, the American schools have majorly suppressed people with English-only nationalistic ideas by undertaking case studies to evaluate the various benefits and demerits of bilingualism.
Works Cited
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Bialystok E. Reshaping the mind: The benefits of bilingualism. Can J Exp Psychol. 2011;65 (4) : 229-235. https://doi.org/10.1037/20025406.
Chibaka, Evelyn Fogwe. 'Advantages of Bilingualism and Multilingualism. Multidimensional Research Findings. 'Multilingualism and Bilingualism (2018). 15.
Garcia, Ofelia, Jo Anne Kleifgen, and Lorraine Falchi. 'From English Language Learners to Emergent Bilinguals. Equity Matters. Research Review No.1 'Campaign for Educational Equity. Institute for Language and Education Policy, 8-17. (2009) https://www.elladvocates.org
Martin-Rhee, Michelle M, and Ellen Bialystok. “The Development of Two Types of Inhibitory Control in Monolingual and Bilingual Children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, vol. 11, no. 1, 2008, pp. 81-93., https://doi.org/10.1017151366728907003227
Scarmeas, Nikolaos, et al. 'Influence of leisure activity on the incidence of Alzheimer's disease' Neurology 57.12 (2001):2236-2242
Wiley, Terrence G., and Marguerite Lukes. 'English only and standard English ideologies in the US.' Tesol Quarterly 30.3 ( 1996 ) : 511-535. https://doi.org/10.2307/3567696
