Bilingualism Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts Multilingualism – Use of > one language by a person or a community (bilingualism = two languages). First language (L1) – Mother‑tongue acquired in childhood; serves as a foundation for later languages. Simultaneous bilingual – Learns two languages from early childhood; often develops literacy in both. Sequential bilingual – Learns L1 first, then L2 after reaching a proficiency threshold. Transfer – Positive: similar structures ease learning; Negative (interference): differences hinder acquisition. Translanguaging – Leveraging knowledge of one language to support learning another. Receptive bilingual – Understands a language but cannot (or is blocked from) speaking it. Code‑switching – Alternating languages within a conversation or sentence. Diglossia – Functional split: “high” language for formal use, “low” language for informal contexts. --- 📌 Must Remember Age effect – Earlier L2 acquisition → better pronunciation; the critical period for attrition ends age 12. Language attrition – Possible loss of L1, especially if only L2 is used before age 12. Executive‑function findings – No consistent bilingual advantage; reported effects may stem from publication bias. Decision‑making bias reduction – Using a foreign language creates cognitive distance, reducing framing effects. Moral judgment shift – Foreign‑language framing increases utilitarian choices. Economic edge – Bilinguals can serve language‑minority customers; a marketable skill. Neural representation – Same perisylvian left‑hemisphere regions process all known languages; both hemispheres active during production. Software localization levels – Localized = one language at a time; Multilingualised = multiple display/input languages; Internationalized = runtime language selection across locales. --- 🔄 Key Processes Sequential bilingual instruction Teach literacy in L1 → reach proficiency threshold → introduce L2 literacy. Simultaneous bilingual literacy development Parallel instruction in L1 & community language → simultaneous reading/writing skills. Translanguaging support Identify cognates/structures in L1 → map onto L2 → scaffold new vocabulary/grammar. Code‑switching function Detect lexical gap → switch to language with needed term → maintain discourse flow. --- 🔍 Key Comparisons Simultaneous vs. Sequential Bilingualism Simultaneous: dual exposure from birth → early balanced proficiency; possible dominance in one language. Sequential: L1 first → solid foundation → L2 added later; often higher L1 literacy. Positive Transfer vs. Negative Transfer Positive: shared grammar/vocab → easier acquisition (e.g., Spanish ↔ Italian). Negative: divergent rules cause interference (e.g., English word order vs. Japanese). Localized vs. Multilingualised Software Localized: one language per installation. Multilingualised: multiple input/display languages, single UI language. --- ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “Bilingual advantage in executive function” – Not consistently supported; many studies show no effect. “All bilinguals are fluent in both languages” – Fluency varies; receptive bilinguals may understand without speaking. “Language loss only happens in adults” – Attrition risk is highest before age 12; adult loss is usually partial. “Code‑switching means poor language control” – It is a strategic, socially‑guided discourse tool. --- 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition “Language as a toolbox” – Each language provides a set of tools (lexicon, grammar). Transfer is simply borrowing the right tool for a new task. “Critical period as a window” – Imagine a window that narrows with age; the sooner you look through, the clearer the pronunciation. “Neural overlap” – Think of a single control panel (perisylvian cortex) that toggles different language “modes” without needing separate hardware. --- 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Bimodal bilingualism – Combines oral language with sign language; offers insight into tip‑of‑the‑tongue and working‑memory phenomena. Total L1 loss – Possible in young children who switch to exclusive L2 use; rare after age 12. Negative transfer can be mitigated by explicit contrastive analysis during instruction. --- 📍 When to Use Which Choose simultaneous vs. sequential instruction – Use simultaneous when children are immersed in both languages from birth; use sequential when L1 literacy is a prerequisite for academic success. Apply translanguaging – When learners have strong L1 competence and need to bridge gaps in L2 vocabulary/grammar. Select software localization level – Localized for single‑market products. Multilingualised for platforms needing multi‑input support (e.g., forums). Internationalized when you want end‑users to pick UI language at runtime. --- 👀 Patterns to Recognize Pronunciation accuracy improves with earlier L2 onset – Look for age‑of‑acquisition cues in case studies. Code‑switching often follows a lexical gap – Spot the switch right after a word the speaker lacks in the current language. Positive transfer signals cognate clusters – Identify similar morphological patterns across languages. Attrition signs – Decline in expressive capacity before age 12, especially when L1 exposure drops sharply. --- 🗂️ Exam Traps Distractor: “Bilinguals always have superior executive function.” – True advantage is not consistently demonstrated. Misleading choice: “Language attrition only affects adults.” – Risk peaks before age 12. Near‑miss: “Translanguaging = code‑switching.” – Translanguaging is a pedagogical strategy; code‑switching is a conversational phenomenon. Trap: “Localized software supports multiple languages simultaneously.” – Localization is single‑language per version; only multilingualisation does that. ---