1. BILINGUALISM By Prof. MarcelaIsraelsky misraelsky@hotmail.com misraelsky.blogspot.com TEFL Master´s Degree Program Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

2. A bilingual person is somebody who speaks two languages. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

3. A person may become bilingual either by acquiring two languages at the same time during childhood or by learning a second language sometime after acquiring the first language. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

4. BILINGUAL PEOPLE Children of immigrants in USA: They grow up speaking their parents´ native language at home while speaking English at school. Many bilinguals, however, are not immigrants. There are many people born in the USA that speak English at school or work and another language at home. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

5. LEARNING A LANGUAGE AFTER EARLY CHILDHOOD It is possible to learn a second language sometime after early childhood, but the older you get, the hardest it is to learn to speak a new language. There´s a critical period, that is puberty. The structure of the brain changes at puberty, and after that it becomes harder to learn a new language. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

6. HOW HARD IT IS FOR A CHILD TO ACQUIRE TWO LANGUAGES AT THE SAME TIME? As long as people are regularly speaking with the child in both languages, the child will acquire them both. A child does not have to be exceptional or to have any special language ability to become bilingual, what he or she needs is a lot of exposure to the two languages. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

7. ADVANTAGES OF BEING BILINGUAL It benefits a child´s cognitive development. It gives the child a sense of identity and belonging (in the case of children of immigrants) Living in an increasingly globalization, it is an advantage for anyone to speak more than one language. For people of any age or profession, knowing a second language encourages cross-cultural awareness and understanding. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

8. MYTHS Learning two languages confuses a child and lowers his intelligence. A child should learn one language properly first; then, you can start teaching the other. A child who learns two languages will not feel at home in either of them. She/he will feel caught between cultures. Children who grow up bilingual will become great translators when they grow up. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.

9. Teaching children a second language early in life is the best way for them to become bilingual adults. Whether it is out of necessity or a lifestyle choice, being bilingual can open many doors. Material created by Marcela Israelsky for educational purposes.