Bilingualism Benefit Present but Not Felt
Inquiry question: How does bilingualism affect our overall literacy (reading/writing) and though processing?
My Story
F.O.B. Do any of you know the meaning of this acronym in reference to the Filipino Culture? At the age of eight, I lived and grew up in the sun-shiny state of the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii. Dubbed the pacific melting pot of different cultures, various ethnicities left their respected homelands to work in the thriving sugar cane and pineapple plantation industry. So growing up, you would think that we were free from racial punt and jokes. Not entirely.
White’s became the minority and was thus labeled as Haoles in Hawaiian which means foreigner. Women Tonggans and Hawaiians were labeled as Tittas which was accredited to their though built. Portuguese pronounced as POH-tow-GEE were known for their vibrant personality and loud mouths. Labeling was done in a subtle and non-vulgar way meant as playful banter. So what’s one negative connotation of us Filipinos? Their heavy tongue and accenting that interchanges the P and F at times, in which the world “Packing” could be mistakenly pronounced as well.. . The “F” -word.
F.O.B could mean fresh off the boat or full of buk-buk , both in which refers to their inability to adopt to the true American Culture. To help with the transition my family had to go through English Remedial School or what we’d like to call ESL(English as Second Language). Thank goodness I was able to pass the aptitude test that enabled me to learn at a normal classroom pace without any remedial class. The problem came with the self-insecurities in trying to learn a different culture. How to relate with others and how to emotionally connect.
The evidence provided by the articles found prove that bilingualism increases mind processing flexibility which in turn affect our overall take in reading/writing and literature. This sort of exercise of the mind allows certain advantages for us bilinguals. In the quest to answer the question that hits close to heart, the logical findings through research seem to contradict the personal experiences that my family(myself, included) experienced.
Poetry Analysis
A writer that I can very well relate to is Rhina Espaillat in her poem called
Bilingual/Bilingüe
by Rhina P. Espaillat
My father liked them separate, one there,
one here (allá y aquí), as if aware
that words might cut in two his daughter’s heart
(el corazón) and lock the alien part
to what he was—his memory, his name
(su nombre)—with a key he could not claim.
“English outside this door, Spanish inside,”
he said, “y basta.” But who can divide
the world, the word (mundo y palabra) from
any child? I knew how to be dumb
and stubborn (testaruda); late, in bed,
I hoarded secret syllables I read
until my tongue (mi lengua) learned to run
where his stumbled. And still the heart was one.
I like to think he knew that, even when,
proud (orgulloso) of his daughter’s pen,
he stood outside mis versos, half in fear
of words he loved but wanted not to hear.
The effect of fusing English with Spanish as the echoing word represents the colliding of two distinct cultures. Coming from a distant past like the matter of how she learn it, was Spanish in the form an echo. Echo that is a reminder that although its not the dominant language, the presence and its effects will always linger. Not just the language itself but the culture from which it came from. The quote that I would like to analyze most of all is “half in fear of words he loved but wanted not to hear.” This tares the heart apart because constraining a language is equivalent to constraining who you are as a person and where you came from. I can sympathize with this because isolation comes with the cultural barriers present in trying to learn a new culture.
In Rhina Esphillat’s, Being a Bilingual Writer, the constraints of speaking English at school and Spanish at home sometime led to a sort of constrict in their family bonds. The inability to relate with one another is the price to pay for having two parents particularly fluent in the native tongue and a child trying to struggling within the two realms. Again when I speak of language, the complexity in culture gap added to the strain of generation gap made matters at home intolerable at times. The same language however that separates them, is ironically the same bonds that keep a family together. This could be in reference to culture and traditions. As a writer Esphillat concluded that the appeal in bilingualism in some writers is that, “Some acknowledges and celebrate the tendency of languages to borrow from each other and produce something different in the process.”
Do I agree with the statement that bilingualism has it’s advantages? Yes .
Was I aware of these advantages growing up? NO. The emotional self-insecurities caused by a cultural barrier was difficult to overcome.
Advantages of Bilingualism Q& A portion
Q: Bilingualism causes better Electronic Text Interpretation?
In an article presented by Carla Meskill, Bilingualism and Cognitive Flexibility, she argues that mind flexibility and multitasking presents a higher cognitive level in those who are bilingual. She supported this claim by stating that, An apparently heightened awareness of language and how it operates in the world, a flexible stance toward differing systems of representation, and the bilingual’s facility in moving back and forth between languages and cultures directly parallel what critical theorists have emphasized as characteristics essential to dealing with electronic texts; i.e., that e-texters move fluidly and seamlessly between discourses and their modes of representation .” (Ulmer, 1989; 1994) This accredited source derived from a scholarly article is meant the educate people about the effects of bilingualism. In summarization and conclusion, the effects of bilingualism is a lot more than the dual processing of language but culture as a whole in their distinct symbolisms and traditions. This in turn has led to practice of constant transitions of two different world. In relation, to the article, a connection is made that the multimodal functionality of bilingualism is suggested to possess a sense of better fluidity in electronic use or reading vie e-text. The multimodal mind is accustom to functioning in more ways which suggest that they adapt a lot more easily to various ulterior modes of teaching styles.
A: Not Necessarily. Bilingualisms is compared to the enhanced fluidity of simultaneous discourse present in electronic text messaging. This brain exercise leads to a broader sense of thought processing.
Q: Fact or Myth: Bilingualism was initially thought of as a hindrance in writing development?
In an article presented by Charmian Kenner, Biliteracy Benefits, he argues that young children are capable in learning two different writing systems simultaneously, and this benefits their cognitive and cultural development. This argument is supported by the statement,“ Biliteracy extends children’s learning and enables them to share cultural experiences with their families and communities. Mainstream teachers can give support by inviting children to demonstrate their bilingual knowledge, celebrating children’s community language school achievements, and offering resources to community school colleagues. The first step is to change attitudes. It is time to lay the literacy myth of ‘deprived bilingual children’ to rest once and for all.”(Kenner1) The purpose of this accredited source found in a scholarly search engine called EBSCO, was to lay a the literacy myth to rest and to persuade teachers and educator to support , rather that discourage writing in two simultaneous languages. In conclusion, the lack of understanding of what goes on in a bilingual is attributed to the ineffectiveness of teaching methods. In understanding bilingualism, language is a part of society as a whole which includes complex inter-social skills not to be confused with incapability of learning to write in a new language.
A: True. The complex system of writing in two different languages was thought of as a hindrance in intellectual progress. Studies show that other social factors and lifestyle are more to blame than bilingualism. Initially, educators failed to address the living conditions that affect their intellectual outcome.
Q: Is there a difference between learning a language from an early childhood vs. acquiring it later on in life?
In an article presented by Ditza Oren, “Cognitive Advantages of Bilingual Children Related to Labeling Ability” , he argues that higher average performance of the coordinate bilingual subjects in naming and relabeling has led to a major implication that early bilingualism is advantageous to the conceptualization of the notions of symbols. This is supported by the statement that, “Children’s capabilities reflects their intelligence. ..that by teaching children to express various phenomena using different coding systems, we can contribute to the achievement of cognitive flexibility in areas that do not appear to be closely related to labeling ability.”(Oren6) Since this article was written for Ethics Teaching for Higher Education, this accredited source found in a scholarly search engine called EBSCO is authentic. The proposed audience are targeted more towards teachers and educators but the article is open for scholarly research. In conclusion, the ability to think in an abstract is thought of an enhancement cause by bilingualism.
A: Yes. This is where they are either labeled as coordinate bilinguals or compound bilinguals. Coordinate bilinguals refer to children learning two different language with two different thought process. Compound Bilingualism(learning past childhood), contains one dominant thought process but was able to learn two languages. Study shows that coordinate bilingualism is a lot more beneficial because of the presence of two different semantic system. Initially, they thought that the mind is better suited and adapted when fully develop. The problem with this is that acquired knowledge will conflict with newly introduced concepts. The best time to learn a new language is during childhood when the slate is clean and mind is susceptible to change in thought processing.
In conclusion, statistics shows that the overall effect of bilingualism is advantageous in so many ways. Negative connotations such as school drop-out rates of minority is not caused by bilingualism but found in other social factors such as lifestyle and financial situations. The educational system is readjusting its foundation to better accommodate and encourage bilingualism through writing and reading. The thought process involved in the constant transitions between two worlds aid in the cognitive process which allows flexibility of the mind. This benefit doest not necessarily indicate a “higher intelligence” level comparison in regards to reading and writing. It’s a sense of broadened horizon that allows bilinguals to process different approach to different styles of learning and susceptibility to a instant change of gear in our mindset.
The personal experience however of growing up as a bilingual, proved challenging and daunting at times. The emotional aspect of growing up as a bilingual is inconclusive and barely analyzed by professionals. That is what I meant by bilingual benefits present but not felt. Based on personal experience, growing up in two different cultures was a struggle. This internal conflict of having English as the more dominant language proved hard. It took a toll in my earlier years with the constant struggle to pronounce the properly and to enunciate without a very thick and hard Filipino accent.
Works Cited
Kennedy, X.J. Reading a Story. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2007.*online copy of poem:http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=175878
Kenner, Charmian ,“Biliteracy Benefits” Literacy Today 2003 37, 21-21. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCOhost. Eastern Oregon Univeristy La Grande Oregon
23 Nov 2009 <>
Meskill, C., Mossop, J. and Bates, R. (2000) Bilingualism, Cognitive Flexibility, and Electronic Texts. Bilingual Research Journal. 23, 2&3.
http://www.albany.edu/etap/faculty/CarlaMeskill/publication/COGFLE~1.PDF
Oren, Ditza L. “Cognitive Advantages of Bilingual Children Related to Labeling Ability.”
Journal of Education Research 74.3 (1981). Academic Search Premier.
EBSCOhost. Eastern Oregon Univeristy La Grande Oregon
23 Nov 2009 <>
Monday, November 30, 2009
Blogpost #22:Freestyle
J.V. Cunningham, This humanist whom no beliefs constrained
“This Humanist whom no belief constrained
Grew so broad-minded he was scatter-brained.”(Kennedy604)
I would like to go back to closed form poetry and revisit the Epigram form. It’s so witty and short yet says so much in a small amount of writing space. First of all this reminds me of those rhyming games that we use to do as kids. And honestly, the rhyming thing works right? This however transcends far beyond our tutti-frutti days as a kid and has more deeper context. The word humanist is italicized I think because of the fact that it’s a irony. Humans in general contains many different beliefs and this is what makes us special in our own little way. So a human without any true convictions and beliefs in life don’t know enough about themselves to know where they want to go. That means that where they are headed to in unclear and the broad-mindedness present will lead to a mind with no limitation. No boundaries and law to the human psyche leads to inconsistency and uncertainty. I can probably make an essay about this but I wont bore you to death with that. I just thought it interesting that you could say so much in so little. This made me realize the effectiveness in writing when they constantly remind me to keep it short and simple. Not bad for a tutti-frutti rhyming scheme huh?
“This Humanist whom no belief constrained
Grew so broad-minded he was scatter-brained.”(Kennedy604)
I would like to go back to closed form poetry and revisit the Epigram form. It’s so witty and short yet says so much in a small amount of writing space. First of all this reminds me of those rhyming games that we use to do as kids. And honestly, the rhyming thing works right? This however transcends far beyond our tutti-frutti days as a kid and has more deeper context. The word humanist is italicized I think because of the fact that it’s a irony. Humans in general contains many different beliefs and this is what makes us special in our own little way. So a human without any true convictions and beliefs in life don’t know enough about themselves to know where they want to go. That means that where they are headed to in unclear and the broad-mindedness present will lead to a mind with no limitation. No boundaries and law to the human psyche leads to inconsistency and uncertainty. I can probably make an essay about this but I wont bore you to death with that. I just thought it interesting that you could say so much in so little. This made me realize the effectiveness in writing when they constantly remind me to keep it short and simple. Not bad for a tutti-frutti rhyming scheme huh?
Blog Entry #21: Scene-response: Othello in you youtube
I like the 1995 Othello version although this interpretation is obviously the most modern of the three. In terms technology advances, clearly, the third represents the best quality in video editing and imaging. In first film, his skin color is not even evident. Same is true for the second video. So I guess the video quality plays an important role in my interpretation and understanding.
Several modification was either added or edited out of the film but the dialogue still remains intact. The vivid imagery presented made it easier to understand the text because I was trying to understand the text, I had but imagination and footnotes to work with. I guess the way that they spoke so eloquently and in flowing manner made it somewhat easier to understanding. When I was reading out loud, the disconnected flow of words and unknown meaning made it difficult to connect with this piece.
Several modification was either added or edited out of the film but the dialogue still remains intact. The vivid imagery presented made it easier to understand the text because I was trying to understand the text, I had but imagination and footnotes to work with. I guess the way that they spoke so eloquently and in flowing manner made it somewhat easier to understanding. When I was reading out loud, the disconnected flow of words and unknown meaning made it difficult to connect with this piece.
Blogpost #20: Othello
Lines 50-58
Paraphrasing Desdomanas’ song of the “Willow”
“Sing willow, willow, willow,-
Prithee, hie thee. He’l come anon.
Sing all green willow must be my garland.
Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve-…
I called my love false love; but what said he then?
Sing willow, willow, willow;
If I court more women, you’ll couch more men”
This song to me, symbolized a realization that the love between Desdemona and Othello is clouded with shrewd jealousy. A realization for Desdemona more so, than Othello. It’s such a ominous song considering the willow. I don’t know any other willows that the weeping willow and this song is just sad. Let, nobody blame him; his scorn I approve? Well, I’m not sure if we passed the part where Othello forcefully slaps Desdemona due to the thought of her cheating. So in that case, we are way past scorn. Love, false love is representing the doubt cause by jealousy. Again, I believe that jealousy is the central emotion being played upon. What’s interesting is the last line really. If I court more women, you’ll couch more men?
Why is it that the guys is ‘courting’ and the woman is ‘couching’? (which by the way a nice substitute for a whore) I think it’s a peek inside the mentality of a certain few. Or maybe how guys are expected to think like. In this, the guy could see it as ‘courting’ but the level to which we interpret that word varies form person to person. He supposedly stays with her due to his fear of her sleeping with other guys. I think that’s the possessive nature of Othello and his jealousy. That mentality that since you’re my wife, your mines and mines alone. It just so happens that his common sense was distorted by his jealousy which cause falsified misinterpretation of what the true nature of the matter, really is.
Paraphrasing Desdomanas’ song of the “Willow”
“Sing willow, willow, willow,-
Prithee, hie thee. He’l come anon.
Sing all green willow must be my garland.
Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve-…
I called my love false love; but what said he then?
Sing willow, willow, willow;
If I court more women, you’ll couch more men”
This song to me, symbolized a realization that the love between Desdemona and Othello is clouded with shrewd jealousy. A realization for Desdemona more so, than Othello. It’s such a ominous song considering the willow. I don’t know any other willows that the weeping willow and this song is just sad. Let, nobody blame him; his scorn I approve? Well, I’m not sure if we passed the part where Othello forcefully slaps Desdemona due to the thought of her cheating. So in that case, we are way past scorn. Love, false love is representing the doubt cause by jealousy. Again, I believe that jealousy is the central emotion being played upon. What’s interesting is the last line really. If I court more women, you’ll couch more men?
Why is it that the guys is ‘courting’ and the woman is ‘couching’? (which by the way a nice substitute for a whore) I think it’s a peek inside the mentality of a certain few. Or maybe how guys are expected to think like. In this, the guy could see it as ‘courting’ but the level to which we interpret that word varies form person to person. He supposedly stays with her due to his fear of her sleeping with other guys. I think that’s the possessive nature of Othello and his jealousy. That mentality that since you’re my wife, your mines and mines alone. It just so happens that his common sense was distorted by his jealousy which cause falsified misinterpretation of what the true nature of the matter, really is.
Blogpost #19: Freestyle: Othello
Lines 178-180
“Iago: O, beware, my lorf, of jealousy.
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feed on…”(Kennedy986)
I’ve heard this quote before but I didn’t it was from this play. In relation to the quote, I think the central pivotal emotion that drives this play is jealousy alone. To me, It is true when they say that, “It is better to have loved, than to not loved at all.” Love, however, comes with so many emotions linked with it. Marriage solidifies and takes the relationship to different level. Jealousy in this case is maddening because that supposed bond is questionable filled with endless doubts. In this play, I feel like Othello did not do his part. He failed to communicate with her to tell her bluntly that he thinks she was cheating with Cassio. If the relationship was a strong as perceived a sin the beginning, then this jealousy issue wouldn’t be a problem. This is an example of letting rumors affect you to the extreme and sadly, a wise-man named Iago exploited the emotion called jealousy.
“Iago: O, beware, my lorf, of jealousy.
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feed on…”(Kennedy986)
I’ve heard this quote before but I didn’t it was from this play. In relation to the quote, I think the central pivotal emotion that drives this play is jealousy alone. To me, It is true when they say that, “It is better to have loved, than to not loved at all.” Love, however, comes with so many emotions linked with it. Marriage solidifies and takes the relationship to different level. Jealousy in this case is maddening because that supposed bond is questionable filled with endless doubts. In this play, I feel like Othello did not do his part. He failed to communicate with her to tell her bluntly that he thinks she was cheating with Cassio. If the relationship was a strong as perceived a sin the beginning, then this jealousy issue wouldn’t be a problem. This is an example of letting rumors affect you to the extreme and sadly, a wise-man named Iago exploited the emotion called jealousy.
Blog Post #18 Quote Response: to Othello
Lines 60-67
“Iago:…In following him, I follow but myself-
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so for my peculiar end.
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, tis’ not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.” (Kennedy941)
This has been one of the hardest plays to read. I think it was because of the language barrier for me. Overall, the constant glace over the footnotes were well worth it. I enjoyed this play overall. I like how jealousy is used to ignite such hateful feeling. Anyways, with this quote, I feel like Iago has somewhat of a point. At one point in our lives, there are task that we must do even thought it is not to our liking. In this statement, he doesn’t care much for Othello. He is a subordinate and he must his duty as well as be on Othello’s good side. Like in modern times, the connection between boss-employee is that you must know you’re place.
Several comments/questions: 1) I sort of wished that Shakespeare added more of scenes between Desdemona and Othello. In general I though it was this whirlwind-type of love because the courting part was so short and it went straight to them eloping. The text stated that this fascination between them have been for a awhile but I would’ve fell full sympathy for their love if scenes where added to give the audience time to bond with their love relationship.
2)Roderigo is crazy. Well, I can’t really see how someone could see their land. I see his actions as rash and impulsive. So what if he was ousted by Othello? He gave up all his money to help Iago plot a revenge. I don’t see his incentives justifying his cause.
3) Iago must agree with Machiavelli “The ends justify with the means”. I got to hand it to Iago because he is very crafty and manipulative. His determination is admirable but I just don’t agree with his thought process
“Iago:…In following him, I follow but myself-
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so for my peculiar end.
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, tis’ not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.” (Kennedy941)
This has been one of the hardest plays to read. I think it was because of the language barrier for me. Overall, the constant glace over the footnotes were well worth it. I enjoyed this play overall. I like how jealousy is used to ignite such hateful feeling. Anyways, with this quote, I feel like Iago has somewhat of a point. At one point in our lives, there are task that we must do even thought it is not to our liking. In this statement, he doesn’t care much for Othello. He is a subordinate and he must his duty as well as be on Othello’s good side. Like in modern times, the connection between boss-employee is that you must know you’re place.
Several comments/questions: 1) I sort of wished that Shakespeare added more of scenes between Desdemona and Othello. In general I though it was this whirlwind-type of love because the courting part was so short and it went straight to them eloping. The text stated that this fascination between them have been for a awhile but I would’ve fell full sympathy for their love if scenes where added to give the audience time to bond with their love relationship.
2)Roderigo is crazy. Well, I can’t really see how someone could see their land. I see his actions as rash and impulsive. So what if he was ousted by Othello? He gave up all his money to help Iago plot a revenge. I don’t see his incentives justifying his cause.
3) Iago must agree with Machiavelli “The ends justify with the means”. I got to hand it to Iago because he is very crafty and manipulative. His determination is admirable but I just don’t agree with his thought process
Blog Post # 17: Quote response on Trifles
“Mrs. Hale: [With a slow look around her.] I wonder how it would seem never to have any children around. [Pause.] No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird- a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too.
Mrs. Peters: [Moving uneasily.] We don’t know who killed the bird.
Mrs. Hale: I knew John Wright.
Mrs. Peters: It was an awful thing done in this house that night, Mrs. Hale. Killing a man while he slept, slipping a rope around his neck that choked the life out of him.” (Kennedy847)
First and foremost, understanding a text based on dialogue alone was always a struggle for me. This particular piece of work was not that hard to follow. So with that said, I think the play in general creates a lot of different conflict. That’s what make a good drama right? Conflict.
Anyways, In this scene, the women have deduced that Mr. and Mrs. Wright killed each other. Mrs. Wright killed Mr. Wright physically, however. Mr. Wright influenced a dark psychological and mental change in Mrs. Wright that led to Mr. Wright’s murder. The bird and cage analogy, is a representation of husband and wife. It was noted that years back, Mrs. Wright was a vibrant, socializing, church-going until Mr. Wright caged her and she never sang again. Her lack-luster life led to years of misery and as the death of her husband has proven, she became quite numb and distant for quite sometime.
The characters speaking in this dialogue, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, are simple housewives who solved the mysteries simply by relating to what its like being woman and their roles in society. Here, Mrs. Peters is in conflict because here husband is the sheriff and she is practically “married to the law.” (Kennedy848) She knew that the evidence found based of disarrayed quilt patterns and the bird/cage analogy was enough to place Mrs. Wright guilty of murder. As a housewife however, she see’s that marriage life really took its toll on Mrs. Wright and it changed her into this person she doesn’t know. In this case she found the need to disregard the evidence as insufficient.
This poem reminded me of Anne Sexton’s, Her Kind. In the end it is noted that women, go through the same problem. It all come in a different way but we can all relate with each other through experiences.
Mrs. Peters: [Moving uneasily.] We don’t know who killed the bird.
Mrs. Hale: I knew John Wright.
Mrs. Peters: It was an awful thing done in this house that night, Mrs. Hale. Killing a man while he slept, slipping a rope around his neck that choked the life out of him.” (Kennedy847)
First and foremost, understanding a text based on dialogue alone was always a struggle for me. This particular piece of work was not that hard to follow. So with that said, I think the play in general creates a lot of different conflict. That’s what make a good drama right? Conflict.
Anyways, In this scene, the women have deduced that Mr. and Mrs. Wright killed each other. Mrs. Wright killed Mr. Wright physically, however. Mr. Wright influenced a dark psychological and mental change in Mrs. Wright that led to Mr. Wright’s murder. The bird and cage analogy, is a representation of husband and wife. It was noted that years back, Mrs. Wright was a vibrant, socializing, church-going until Mr. Wright caged her and she never sang again. Her lack-luster life led to years of misery and as the death of her husband has proven, she became quite numb and distant for quite sometime.
The characters speaking in this dialogue, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, are simple housewives who solved the mysteries simply by relating to what its like being woman and their roles in society. Here, Mrs. Peters is in conflict because here husband is the sheriff and she is practically “married to the law.” (Kennedy848) She knew that the evidence found based of disarrayed quilt patterns and the bird/cage analogy was enough to place Mrs. Wright guilty of murder. As a housewife however, she see’s that marriage life really took its toll on Mrs. Wright and it changed her into this person she doesn’t know. In this case she found the need to disregard the evidence as insufficient.
This poem reminded me of Anne Sexton’s, Her Kind. In the end it is noted that women, go through the same problem. It all come in a different way but we can all relate with each other through experiences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
