Task 1 Identifying some bilingualism featur

Task 1 Identifying some bilingualism features By: Zoriana Cordoba Araujo Code: 551035 Course: Colombian Education

An introduction of the topic

Being able to make a detailed description of who is bilingual or not is a difficult task to perform, since there are many factors that determine language performance, for example, language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). In this work we will carry out a brief description and analysis of the two books read, likewise we will analyze some definitions such as Bilingualism, elective Bilingualism, circumstantial Bilingualism, linguistic capacity, among others. Finally we will make a small conclusion about how bilingualism today has become the main theme in our education and how it has built a more balanced society and how it has contributed to its progress.

Analysis of the reading, a paragraph

Bearing in mind the analysis of the two readings, we can conclude that both readings carry out a broad description of the definitions of the linguistic abilities of bilinguals, likewise it details the definitions of elective bilingualism and circumstantial bilingualism; The importance of bilingual skills that are 4, then the concept of Bilingualism is described, which varies depending on the different authors. They also make a great recognition of how languages have been an important process in school curricula, always emphasizing that Spanish-English bilingualism predominates, and many times other languages are ignored. In the same way, the importance of the national bilingual program of the Ministry of Education (MEN) is discussed, whose objective is to ensure that Colombians can communicate through English, and finally the fundamental role that the teacher must play to help the student to develop their intercultural competence, linguistic, sociolinguistic and discursive competences.

Definitions and distinctions

Bilingualism: “Native control of two or more languages” (Bloomfield 1933). Balanced bilinguals: A particular group of bilinguals whose competencies in both languages are well developed. Elective bilingualism: Characteristics of people who choose to learn a language, add a second language without losing their mother tongue. Circumstantial bilingualism: People who learn another language to survive must become bilingual in order to function in the majority language society that surrounds them.

Relevant aspects of the readings

Between the relevants aspects of the Reading, It caught my attention the explanation of the definitions of elective and circumstantial bilingualism; because they explained in detail how to differentiate a group of people who choose to learn English by simple choice (elective bilingualism) and how there is another group of people who decide to learn another language for survival (circumstantial bilingualism). All these definitions are necessary to acquire and be able to improve our vocabulary to fully understand the topics covered in the readings.

Conclusion, a paragraph

As a conclusión, we can say that we can not compare bilingual people based on their abilities, since there are many factors involved; For example, a language that a person masters is never static, it always tends to evolve. But we can say that being bilingual is a very beneficial advantage these days, that we find ourselves in a globalized world where communication and contact with other cultures allows the construction of a more balanced society.

References

Baker, C. (2001). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.Vol. 3rd ed. Multilingual Matters. pp. 2-16. https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=90953&lang=es&site=eds-live&scope=site&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_2 Mejía, A. (2006). Bilingual Education in Colombia: Towards a Recognition of Languages, Cultures and Identities. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, (8), 152–168. https://revistas.udistrital.edu.co/index.php/calj/article/view/176

Thanks