1. BILINGUALISM

2. Bilingualism is defined as “knowing” two languages (Valdez & Figueora, 1994).

3. People use the term “bilingualism” in different ways
People use the term “bilingualism” in different ways. For some, it means an equal ability to communicate in two languages. For others, it simply means the ability to communicate in two languages, but with greater skills in one language

4. Bloomfield defines bilingualism as “a native – like control of two languages”

5. Bilingual Babies: The Roots of Bilingualism in Newborns
It may not be obvious, but hearing two languages regularly during pregnancy puts infants on the road to bilingualism by birth. According to new findings in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, infants born to bilingual mothers (who spoke both languages regularly during pregnancy) exhibit different language preferences than infants born to mothers speaking only one language.

6. Types of Bilingualism 1.Coordinate Bilingualism :
In this type, the person learns the languages in separate environments, and words of the two languages are kept separate with each word having its own specific meaning. An instance of this is seen in a Cameroonian child learning English at school. This may also be referred to as subtractive bilingualism.

7. 2. Compound Bilingualism: Here, the person learns the two languages in the same context where they are used concurrently, so that there is a fused representation of the languages in the brain. This is the case when a child is brought up by bilingual parents, or those from two different linguistic backgrounds. This is additive in nature.

8. Advantages of Being Bilingual
You can get a number of benefits of being bilingual in various aspects such as cognitive benefits, curriculum advantages, cultural benefits, employment advantages, communication advantages and tolerance of other languages and cultures.

9. 1.Cognitive benefits:
The bilingual people can have some specific advantages in thinking. They have two or more words for each idea and object. Hence, a bilingual person can develop a creative thinking and an ability to think more flexibly. The bilinguals are aware about which language should be spoken with which person in a particular situation. Therefore, they are more sensitive to the needs of the listener than the monolingual people. Being bilingual has a positive effect on intellectual growth. It enhances and enriches a person’s mental development. The latest research has proved that the bilinguals are better at IQ tests as compared to the monolinguals.

10. Bilingualism Good for the Brain
People who speak more than one language seem to perform better on a variety of cognitive tasks

11. Being Bilingual May Boost Your Brain Power
Research suggests that the growing numbers of bilingual speakers may have an advantage that goes beyond communication: It turns out that being bilingual is also good for your brain.

12. Cognitive Benefits of Bilingualism in Children
Children taught a second language at an early age demonstrated improved cognitive abilities over control groups on tests of cognitive function and IQ tests.
Bilinguals exhibited a cognitive flexibility believed to be developed from their experience in dealing with two languages.
Bilingual students achieved higher scores on creativity, metalinguistic awareness, and reading achievement tests.
Bilingualism helps slow cognitive decline in later years. Bilingual patients with Alzheimer's showed symptoms between four and five years later than monolingual patients.
Bilingual children performed significantly better than monolingual children on both verbal and nonverbal intelligence tests.
Bilingual children showed improved performance on memory tests over monolingual children.
Bilingual children outperformed monolingual children on problem solving tests.
Foreign language study in early elementary school years is correlated with higher math and reading scores.

14. 2. Communication advantages
The bilinguals enjoy reading and writing in different languages. They can understand and appreciate literatures in various languages. It gives a deeper knowledge of different ideas and traditions. It helps improve the ways of thinking and behaving. The pleasures of reading poetry, novels and magazines as well as the enjoyment of writing to family and friends are doubled for bilinguals. They don’t face difficulties in communication while in a foreign country

15. 3. Cultural advantages
Bilingualism offers an access and exposure to different cultures. Knowledge of different languages offers a treasure of traditional and contemporary sayings, idioms, history and folk stories, music, literature and poetry in different cultures. Due to a wider cultural experience, there is a greater tolerance of differences in creeds and customs.

16. 4. Character advantages:
The bilinguals are able to switch between different languages and talk to different people in various languages. It increases a sense of self-esteem. Being bilingual creates a powerful link in different people from different countries.

17. 5.More Opportunities for Work
Being bilingual greatly enhances your ability to find work in certain fields, especially where international business is concerned.

18. • Bilingual children are more effective at multi-tasking.
• Adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations.
• Being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.

19. Disadvantages of being Bilingual
The biggest issue with being bilingual is the mix-up of words, terms and grammar. When the language one speaks most in is not the same as the one they think in there is usually a high mix of phrases and grammar

20. BILINGUAL BEHAVIOUR
Bilingual people are known to show some of the following dominant traits, which are themselves subject to different interpretations.

21. Interference
This occurs in a case where a speaker consciously or inadvertently brings in pronunciation, sentence formation and vocabulary of the source language while using a target language. Ruke – Dravina has argued that interference is always present in bilingualism, especially when the two languages are closer in their phonological, syntactic and morphological features. It affects pronunciation as can be seen when Francophone students pronounce the “ch” as “chicken” as “sh”, and might include whole sentences syntactically as in * “John is come here” for “John has come here”.

22. 2. Code-switching
Code-switching is a term in linguistics referring to using more than one language or dialect in conversation. Bilinguals, who can speak at least two languages fluently, have the ability to use elements of both languages when conversing with another bilingual. What is said is syntactically and phonologically appropriate; that means that even if words from another language are included into the sentence, they will be adapted to the grammatical rules of the first language. Code-switching can occur between sentences (inter sentential) or within a single sentence (intrasentential). Code-switching is now considered to be a normal and natural product of interaction between the bilingual (or multilingual) speaker's languages

23. It’s true that when somebody is learning another language, they may use code switching to compensate for a lack of knowledge in that language. This is a natural part of language learning, particularly in the early stages, and so plays an important role in language development. However, bilinguals use code switching for a wide range of other purposes as well. These include:
emphasising or clarifying a particular point
reinforcing a request
substituting a word
expressing a concept that does not have a direct equivalent in the other language.

24. Code switching can also be used for wider sociolinguistic reasons: to indicate solidarity with another speaker; for humour; to signal a change of attitude or relationship; or to include or exclude someone from the conversation.