The revolutionary power of bilingualism | Karina Chapa | TEDxMcAllen

Summary

The speaker explores the cognitive advantages of bilingualism, drawing on personal experiences and scientific evidence. They discuss the challenges faced by bilingual students in America, including historical trauma and societal pressures to assimilate. The talk advocates for bilingual education, emphasizing its potential to foster cognitive flexibility, problem-solving skills, and even delay dementia. The speaker envisions a future where the US, with its growing Spanish-speaking population, can lead in cultivating a bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural generation.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The human brain can connect a native language with a foreign one to understand it, even without prior knowledge of the foreign language.
• 📊 In the United States, despite a rich linguistic diversity, only 20% of people are bilingual, compared to a global average where half of the population speaks more than one language.
• 🏫 Language is often misunderstood and historical trauma contributes to the lack of bilingualism; for instance, past punishments for speaking native languages in schools.
• 🧊 Language is likened to an iceberg, where the tip represents social language and the base represents cognitive academic language proficiency, which takes longer to develop.
• 🌱 Becoming bilingual is a gradual process that involves not just speaking but also dreaming in the second language, indicating deep cognitive integration.
• 🤔 A bilingual brain operates like having two interconnected icebergs, where knowledge from the first language can be transferred to the second, aiding in cognitive development.
• 🚫 Denying students the opportunity to develop cognitively in their first language can lead to illiteracy in both languages, as they lack the foundational cognitive development.
• 🌟 Bilingualism is a gift that enhances cognitive flexibility, problem-solving skills, creativity, and can delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's.
• 👥 The United States has a unique opportunity to become the leading country with the most Spanish speakers, emphasizing the importance of bilingual education.
• 🌱 Bilingual education is not just about language; it's about cultural identity and empowerment, allowing students to embrace who they are rather than who they might become.

Q & A

What is the 'superpower' mentioned in the script that a native language gives you?

The 'superpower' is the ability to understand a foreign language by making connections with your native language.

Why does the speaker believe that only 20% of people in America are bilingual despite the diversity of languages?

The speaker believes it's a combination of factors, including a lack of understanding of how language works and historical trauma.

What is the difference between social language and cognitive academic language as described in the script?

Social language is the language used at home and in everyday interactions, which is developed quickly within the first few years of life. Cognitive academic language proficiency, on the other hand, involves deep critical thinking and takes five to seven years to develop; it's the language of analysis, inference, and conclusion making.

What does the speaker recall as the moment she became bilingual?

The speaker recalls the moment she became bilingual when she started dreaming in English, indicating that her brain was thinking in the language she was learning as a second language.

How does the speaker describe the bilingual brain?

The speaker describes the bilingual brain as having a 'double iceberg,' where the surface represents social language, and underneath is the interconnected cognitive academic language proficiency.

What does the speaker suggest happens to students who are not allowed to develop cognitively in their first language?

The speaker suggests that these students may become illiterate in two languages, as they do not get the opportunity to transfer cognitive development from their first language to their second language.

Why does the speaker feel that historical trauma may play a role in the low rates of bilingualism in America?

The speaker refers to historical instances where children were punished for speaking their native language in schools, which may have led to a subconscious belief that their native language is inferior.

What does the speaker argue about the importance of using words carefully in the context of language and identity?

The speaker argues that words can be used as weapons of mass destruction, and it's a choice to use them constructively. Telling a child not to use their native language can undermine their identity and make them feel like they need to become someone else to be successful.

What is cognitive flexibility, as mentioned in the script?

Cognitive flexibility is the ability to quickly switch between thinking about different concepts, as demonstrated by the color-naming task in the script.

Why does the speaker believe that bilingualism can revolutionize the world?

The speaker believes that bilingualism can revolutionize the world because it offers cognitive benefits such as better problem-solving skills, creativity, and cognitive flexibility. It also has health benefits, such as delaying the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's.

What opportunity does the speaker see for the United States regarding bilingualism?

The speaker sees an opportunity for the United States to develop a new generation of adults who are bilingual and biliterate, given that the U.S. is projected to have the most Spanish speakers in the world by 2050.