Bilingualism: The driving force of NYC

Written by Edil Cuepo

Any block you turn onto or bar you enter in New York City, chances are good you’ll encounter people speaking a language other than English. The variety of languages spoken by residents of NYC is estimated to be as many as 800 — 176 of which are spoken in the city’s public schools. We live in a vibrant city full of tourists and foreign-born residents; a melting pot of different cultures and languages.

According to Census Bureau’s 2007 American Community Survey on Language Use In the United States, 20 percent of the population — more than 55 million people in America five years and older — spoke a language other than English at home. In New York State, that percentage skyrockets to nearly 29, an impressive 5.2 million people. Also, keep in mind that this number does not include bilinguals who learned a second language outside of their home. Along with New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have the most bilingual citizens in the US.

 

What good does does it do to learn more than one language? Well, it turns out, a lot.

 

The benefits of bilingualism

For most of the 20th century, the idea that bilingualism caused confusion and developmental delays in young children inspired deep concern. However, multiple studies and research have proven this wrong, illustrating that bilingualism has positive effects in both the young and the old.

One study found that children as young as seven months who are exposed to more than one language are able to adapt and switch their attention much faster compared to children raised in a monolingual environment.

“As a speech language pathologist working with children of various linguistic backgrounds, I have noticed several advantages to being bilingual,” says Elana Skyer, a licensed speech-language pathologist in NYC with extensive experience working with children with special needs. “Chief among these are heightened social and relationship connections to family members, friends and their community.”

Skyer notes a recent New York Times article that discusses several cognitive benefits for children who are bilingual.

“Children who speak more than one language may have superior executive functioning skills, strengths with problem solving, greater abilities with perspective taking/social skills and overall stronger communication abilities,” she says.

According to a 2012 article entitled “The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual,” bilinguals perform better in multitasking, inhibition control, attention control, task-switching and non-verbal problem solving than monolinguals. A bilingual’s brain is trained to function successfully while dealing with a constant juggle between two active languages.

“I think one advantage of being bilingual is that when you translate things in your head, it’s a way of reframing and analyzing thoughts and emotions that may still be raw,” says Jacky Caguicla, a consultant for the consulate of Botswana, pointing one thing she’s experienced, being able to speak English, Tagalog (Filipino), and basic Japanese.

Caguicla finds that she expresses herself more rationally when speaking in English. Moreover, in her experience working with bosses whose native language is Ketswana, she’s observed that there is always a conscious effort to find exactly the right words to convey their ideas.

Dr. Matthew S. Pagirsky, Psy.D, who provides psychological services to children and adolescents with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders and medical conditions at Rusk Rehabilitation in NYU’s Langone Medical Center, also notes the educational benefits of bilingualism.

“Research indicates that certain bilingual education programs — for example, two-way immersion — lead to better academic performance in reading and math for both minority- and majority-language students,” he says. “Transitional bilingual education programs also lead to improvements in children’s academic performance in English, as well as increased proficiency in their native language.”

Studies have also shown that some of the same social benefits of bilingualism apply to adults.

An article published in The Economist last year also discussed how bilingualism can foster more empathy in both children and adults. By knowing a foreign language, they understand that other people’s perspectives vary. They are also able to communicate more effectively with people who they have no language in common.

Adults who have more than one language under their belt can look forward to, well, a longer, healthier life, too.

“Bilingualism may also prevent the onset of symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease,” says Pagirsky.

Bilinguals seem to have extra padding against the natural decline of their brain’s cognitive and neurological functions, and bilingualism has been associated with a delay in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In a study of 200 bilinguals and monolinguals with Alzheimer’s disease, bilingual patients showed initial symptoms and were diagnosed an average of four to five years later than monolingual patients.

 

Not just for bilinguals

Not bilingual? Don’t worry; these benefits are not exclusive to those who were raised as bilinguals — they can also apply to people who learned a second language in adulthood or those who are merely exposed to another language. An article in SAGE Journals discusses how people who are merely exposed to a second language benefit from a greater understanding of other people compared to those who speak or are exposed to only one language.

Similarly, Katherine Kinzler, associate professor of psychology and human development at Cornell University, discussed her study into the social skills developed by children raised in multilingual environments versus monolingual environments in an interview with NPR: “I would say that development is a complicated thing, and there are, you know, lots of things that parents can be doing to facilitate their children’s development. But I do think that if parents can find an opportunity to expose their children to multiple languages, that that’s a good thing.”

Kinzler’s advice for monolingual parents is for them to expose their children somewhat regularly to another language to allow children to experience the social benefits of a multilingual environment. Children do not have to become bilingual to reap some of these benefits.

 

New York City’s greatest advantage: A note from the author

As a foreign-born resident of New York, it is inspiring and redeeming to learn that in a way, my origin and language, when embraced and practiced openly, can have positive effects on my own life and on the people around me. By merely speaking Tagalog to my Filipino coworker or to my sister when we’re out and about, those around us are unconsciously developing social skills, which are highly important in both the workplace and in daily life.

After researching this piece, it’s not surprising that a city like New York — or Los Angeles or Chicago — with over three million foreign-born residents, according to The Newest New Yorkers 2013, is home to many successful individuals and organizations. People of different races and cultures are always walking the same streets, getting coffee from the same delis, and sitting next to each other on the subway. Who knew that one of our biggest differences is the very thing that makes us better? One of the things that makes us quick, thoughtful, curious, empathetic, and confident?

These skills and qualities are critical in today’s era of globalization. It is what can make a child or an adult more adaptable and sensitive to others. It is what can help resolve and bridge the gap between differences in culture and religion and political beliefs. By being more conscious, open, and respectful of others’ perspective or point of view, people are able to co-exist and unity is encouraged.

May bilingualism continue to rise and empower not only New York and its immigrants, but also the rest of the world.