Bilingualism

Name: Jankiba Rana

M.A. Semester 3

Roll No. 09

Batch 2014.15

Paper 12 ELT1

Topic: Bilingualism
Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardi,  Department of English, MKBU

____________________________________________________________

"To evaluate my assignment, click here"

What is Bilingualism?

Bilingualism simply means the ability to communicate in two languages. English is not the native language in India. English Language had become an official language in India therefore English is not the native language for Indians. English is the Second Language in India. India is a multilingual country fully diversified with multiculturalism. Agnes Lam refers to bilingualism the phenomenon of competence and communication in two languages.

                                         

To evaluate my assignment, click here

Bilingual Individuals:

• Bilingual individual is someone who has the ability to communicate two languages alternatively, even when one language is being used in a monolingual context. (Bialystok, 2007, 2010)
• Such an ability or psychological state of an individual has been referred to as 'bilinguality'. (Hamers and Blanc 2000)

Bilingual individuals don't find it difficult to communicate in two languages and switch between two languages alternatively.

Bilingual Society:

A bilingual society is one in which two languages are used in communication. In bilingual society it is possible to have large number of monolinguals provided that they are enough bilinguals to perform the functions requiring bilingual competence in that society. 

• Individual Bilingualism

Individual psychological state of mind who uses two languages for communication purpose. 

• Societal Bilingualism

   In societal bilingualism community and that number of individual can use two languages.

Monoliguals :-

Those who Speaks only one of the tow language used in society.

Several Question Have been asked :-

Monolingual or Communicative norms :

Do we measure the competencies of bilingual persons against the respective competencies of monolingual persons ?

If so we end up with labeling some bilinguals as perfect bilinguals and other as imperfect bilinguals. Another approach is not to apply monolingual norms in measuring bilingual abilities but just to evaluate the communicative competence of the bilingual as a Whole ( Grosjean 1992

 

Relative Competencies in two languages :

Is the bilingual better at one language than the other ?

If so the person has dominant bilinguality . If he or she is equally good at both language then the term balanced bilingual is used .


Domains :  can someone be considered a bilingual if he or she can only function in one language in a few domains (e.g. home ) ?

Essentially the person only has the registers or varieties of language associated with particular  domains for different languages . his or her communicative abilities in one language complement those of the other. I would call this complementary bilinguality.

Components:
Can linguistic competence be subdivided into smaller components ?
for e.g can someone be considered a bilingual if he or she can comprehend both two languages but speak and write only one of them ? 

In such circumstances, the person can be described as a receptive bilingual having the ability to understand both languages . Otherwise .the ability to produce both languages in some manner is usually assumed when a person is identified as a bilingual.

Bidialectal and Bircriptural abilities are also important for individuals .

Bidialectalism refers to the phenomenon where  by someone can communication in more than two dialects of same language.

Bircriptural:
Bircriptural competence is the ability to read more than one script and the traditional complex script.

Relationship between Bilingualism and Multilingualism:
Discussions are bilingualism often include multiligual context because in many multilingual societies there are more bilinguals than multilingual individuals. There are many patterns of multilingualism based on various combinations of bilingual competences

For example: Individuals in our multilingual society could be bilingual in the dominant language may vary for individuals. Increasingly, however with the cognition that many societies are multilingual. Multilingualism is often discussed as a phenomenon in its own right.

Approaches:

Linguistic Approach: Linguists differ in the importance they accord to bilingualism. They study the structure and development of the two languages.

Socio linguistics: It is a study as a whole. It looks at how cultures and social groups affect language performance.

• Language Choice
• Language Planning

Psycho linguistics: It is a study of the psychological bases of bilinguals' language. It largely depends on language performance and language competence. 

Neuro linguistics: is a study of the relationship between language and the brain.

Dominant Language and Non-dominant language: Dominant language is a language with power or status. Non dominant language may vary for individuals.

Simultaneous Bilingualism: it refers to the acquisition of one language after another. 

Bilingual Education: Education using both languages as medium of instructions and/or having bilingualism as a goal of education.

Compound bilinguals: Compound bilingualism has one semantic system but two linguistic codes. Usually it refers to someone whose two languages are learned at the same time often in the same context. 

http://goo.gl/forms/Pp8pdXwWK9