Early Bilingualism as Cognitive Primer?

[Unkotare]

Given the correlation between executive mental functioning and children being born into bilingual environments, perhaps such environmental influences should be conspicuously provided by parents and caregivers to both establish enriched linguistic conditions and to promote vigorous mental development in general. Instead of blasting Beethoven in the nursery, play your mix of lullabies in several languages.

 

[Pogo]

Given the correlation between executive mental functioning and children being born into bilingual environments, perhaps such environmental influences should be conspicuously provided by parents and caregivers to both establish enriched linguistic conditions and to promote vigorous mental development in general. Instead of blasting Beethoven in the nursery, play your mix of lullabies in several languages.

It's certainly the best age (the younger the better) to give a child the gift of multilingualism, as Europeans well know. Ideally conversational, so that the child gets the concepts and contexts -- the music and not just the lyric.

Another argument against the pissants who whine about the number of homes where English is not the house lingo.

 

[Unkotare]

The utilitarian benefits of having more than one language aside, the benefits apply more universally to executive mental function.


"[N]ew findings reveal that ...bilingualism-related difference in brain activity is evident as early as 11 months of age, just as babies are on the verge of producing their first words.

"Our results suggest that before they even start talking, babies raised in bilingual households are getting practice at tasks related to executive function," said Naja Ferjan Ramírez, lead author and a research scientist at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the University of Washington.

"This suggests that bilingualism shapes not only language development, but also cognitive development more generally," she said."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160404141743.htm

 

[Agit8r]

It has been my observation that those who aren't fluent in EVEN ONE language are largely incapable of rational thought. So I guess the OP makes sense.

 

[Damaged Eagle]

Given the correlation between executive mental functioning and children being born into bilingual environments, perhaps such environmental influences should be conspicuously provided by parents and caregivers to both establish enriched linguistic conditions and to promote vigorous mental development in general. Instead of blasting Beethoven in the nursery, play your mix of lullabies in several languages.

It's certainly the best age (the younger the better) to give a child the gift of multilingualism, as Europeans well know. Ideally conversational, so that the child gets the concepts and contexts -- the music and not just the lyric.

Another argument against the pissants who whine about the number of homes where English is not the house lingo.

I'm more than willing to have my children and grandchildren become more linguistic at a early age. Here are my choices...

1. German - Since my family is 100% German-American in descent.
2. Russian
3. Chinese
4. Japanese
5.Hindu(?)

...instead of the puissant progressive liberal belief that we should all learn Spanish as a second language.

You'll also note that the languages that I prefer to be taught are the languages that the professors at colleges recommend for high-tech courses. So let's open the flood gates to people from these countries so they teach our children those languages instead of catering to a minority group that came here without permission demanding we learn their language.

*****CHUCKLE******

 

[Unkotare]

Given the correlation between executive mental functioning and children being born into bilingual environments, perhaps such environmental influences should be conspicuously provided by parents and caregivers to both establish enriched linguistic conditions and to promote vigorous mental development in general. Instead of blasting Beethoven in the nursery, play your mix of lullabies in several languages.

It's certainly the best age (the younger the better) to give a child the gift of multilingualism, as Europeans well know. Ideally conversational, so that the child gets the concepts and contexts -- the music and not just the lyric.

Another argument against the pissants who whine about the number of homes where English is not the house lingo.

I'm more than willing to have my children and grandchildren become more linguistic at a early age. Here are my choices...

1. German - Since my family is 100% German-American in descent.
2. Russian
3. Chinese
4. Japanese
5.Hindu(?)

...instead of the puissant progressive liberal belief that we should all learn Spanish as a second language.

You'll also note that the languages that I prefer to be taught are the languages that the professors at colleges recommend for high-tech courses. So let's open the flood gates to people from these countries so they teach our children those languages instead of catering to a minority group that came here without permission demanding we learn their language.

*****CHUCKLE******

Who is demanding you learn their language?

 

[Damaged Eagle]

Given the correlation between executive mental functioning and children being born into bilingual environments, perhaps such environmental influences should be conspicuously provided by parents and caregivers to both establish enriched linguistic conditions and to promote vigorous mental development in general. Instead of blasting Beethoven in the nursery, play your mix of lullabies in several languages.

It's certainly the best age (the younger the better) to give a child the gift of multilingualism, as Europeans well know. Ideally conversational, so that the child gets the concepts and contexts -- the music and not just the lyric.

Another argument against the pissants who whine about the number of homes where English is not the house lingo.

I'm more than willing to have my children and grandchildren become more linguistic at a early age. Here are my choices...

1. German - Since my family is 100% German-American in descent.
2. Russian
3. Chinese
4. Japanese
5.Hindu(?)

...instead of the puissant progressive liberal belief that we should all learn Spanish as a second language.

You'll also note that the languages that I prefer to be taught are the languages that the professors at colleges recommend for high-tech courses. So let's open the flood gates to people from these countries so they teach our children those languages instead of catering to a minority group that came here without permission demanding we learn their language.

*****CHUCKLE******

Who is demanding you learn their language?

I've had a few Hispanic people in my place of business recently demanding to know why I do not speak Spanish and I've had several supposedly enlightened progressive liberals tell me that Spanish should be taught as a second language at the elementary level over the years.

If we're going to demand bilingualism or multilingualism in our school system then my response is that 'all' languages should be made available for the parents and students to choose from. The supposedly enlightened progressive liberal response was...

'We don't have enough money to provide a teacher that speaks every language at every school'

...my response to that is...

'This is the 21st century is it not? Ever heard of telecommunications? Why does the teacher for that language need to be in the same city, much less the same state?

As for coming into my place of business here in the United States Of America. If you don't speak English don't expect me to cater to each and every language out there. Learn the common tongue of this country as my family was forced to do when the US government created the Sedition Acts. Otherwise the government owes my family compensation for demanding we drop our native language because it wasn't PC even though my family filled US uniforms during WWI and WWII.

*****SMILE*****

 

[Damaged Eagle]

While we're at it colleges need to expand their definition of what they accept as a second language. Most of them do not accept minor languages such as...

Lakota
Cherokee
Chippewa
Apache
etc...

...as a second language, or even sign language, when working towards a degree.

FYI... I know some Cherokee, which I've mostly forgotten over the years, since I had an uncle on my fathers side who was a full blood.

*****SMILE*****

 

[Old Rocks]

I don't think it matters what the second or third language is. Only that they are learned at an early age. Took Spanish in high school, and German in college. Wish I had had both at a much earlier age.

 

[Unkotare]

...

I've had a few Hispanic people in my place of business recently demanding to know why I do not speak Spanish ....

Gotta say I'm skeptical about this claim.

 

[Unkotare]

While we're at it colleges need to expand their definition of what they accept as a second language. Most of them do not accept minor languages such as...

Lakota
Cherokee
Chippewa
Apache
etc...

...as a second language, or even sign language, when working towards a degree.

Really? Which ones? That has not been my experience.

 

[Damaged Eagle]

While we're at it colleges need to expand their definition of what they accept as a second language. Most of them do not accept minor languages such as...

Lakota
Cherokee
Chippewa
Apache
etc...

...as a second language, or even sign language, when working towards a degree.

Really? Which ones? That has not been my experience.

ISU < They didn't want to accept a lot of things.

As for the earlier statement that you're skeptical about. You don't have to believe me on the other hand I don't have to admit to knowledge of another language if someone thinks I should speak it just because...

Wakari mas ka?

*****SMILE*****