Eduardo Hernandez

1. B ILINGUALISM
Eduardo Hernández Rangel
12/09/2009

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BILINGUALISM
Due to the needs of communication among groups that do not have a common
language (lingua franca), they started to mix their native language in order to
understand each other. They created a new language called pidgin and creole
languages. Even though pidgin and creole languages have sounds like a baby-
talk and amusing, they are real languages, because they are used for serious
purposes and in some cases have a distinctive linguistic structure (Holmes,
2001). In my opinion, communities where different languages are used and a
mix of languages between pidgins, creoles or lingua franca are usually talked.
Those people are considered bilingual even when they do not talk official
languages.
Pidgin and creole languages have been historically regarded as marginal
languages. Persons who spoke pidgin and creole languages were treated with
disdain, even contempt (Wardhaugh, 1998). These kinds of languages were
considered unimportant because they lack certain grammatical structures, such
as articles, copulas and inflections; despite this, they are effective for the
purposes of communication. Pidgins are languages that arise when speakers of
different languages come into contact and have a pressing need to
communicate. When a pidgin languages becomes the language of the tribes;
started to learn by the children and then when this happen the pidgin languages
change to creole language. In my opinion, when a creole language is frequently
used in multilingual communities, by different people, it becomes the lingua
franca between the groups that use it and when the groups adopt the creole
language, it becomes the formal language of the community and it is possible
that it was considered as lingua franca if more than one ethnic group use that
creole language.
According to Wardhaugh in 1998, he define lingua franca as “People who speak
different languages who are forced into contact with each other find some way
of communicating”. On the other hand when a group of people do not have a
common language, they create a new language in order to communicate
between each other. These languages are called pidgins and creole language.
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I believe that probably many people around the world speak more than one
language or at least have the possibility to speak one. Although, each one
usually know more than one dialect and for some factors no one talks exactly
the same way at all times. Even more, those people who speak more than one
language are bilingual and they also have different dialects or way to speak in
each of one language they know.
Children bilingualism or infant bilingualism can be reached in two different ways,
simultaneous and sequential. Simultaneous bilingualism consists in exposing
the children in both languages. For example, one parent speaks one language
and the other speaks a different language, the children may learn booth
language at the same time (Baker, 2001). On the other hand, sequential
bilingualism refers to acquire the language after the children already learnt the
mother tongue. In this case, nursery and kindergarten education help children to
acquire the second language without formal instruction. Moreover children can
become bilingual with a natural way independently whether is simultaneous or
sequential, but in both cases is more effective that an adults. Romaine show as
six types of bilingualism and show us some strategies that can be considered in
order to became bilingual.
According to Romaine, there are six ways of acquiring bilingualism.
Type 1. One person - one language
Parents: Each parent has a different native language and each one has a
degree of competence in the language of the other.
Community: The language of one parent is the dominant language of the
community.
Strategy: Each parent speaks their own native language to the child form the
birth.
The studies:
Author Mother Father Community My proposal
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language language language language
Ronjar (1913) German French French German
Leopold English German German English
(1939-1949)
Taeschner German Italian Italian German
(1983)
Due to each parent dominates the language of the other in some degree and in
the community talk the language of one parent. I consider that the language that
they should speak to the child is the opposite that is speaking in the community.
This is because the child can learn both languages in order to become bilingual.
It is the same case that happen in USA with the Mexican people, they talk
Spanish in their home, and the English will be acquire in the community
because they go to school and the child has to learn English too.
Type 2. Non-dominant home language
Parents: Parents have different native languages.
Community: The language of one parent is the dominant language of the
community.
Strategy: Both parents speak the non-dominant language to the child and the
child is fully exposed to the dominant language only when outside home.
The studies:
Author Mother Father Community My proposal
language language language language
Fantini (1985) Spanish English English Spanish
This type is exactly the same case that in type 1. But in this case it is less
probably that the child does not acquire accurately the language of his or her
parents due to the support of the community.
Type 3. Non-dominant home language without community support
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Parents: Parents share the same native language.
Community: The dominant language is not of his parents.
Strategy: The parents speak their own language to the child.
The studies:
Author Mother Father Community My proposal
language language language language
Haugen Norwegian Norwegian English Norwegian
(1953)
Oksaar Estonian Estonian Swedish/German Estonian
(1977)
Ruke- Latvian Latvian Swedish Latvian
Dravina
(1967)
Pavlovitch Servian Servian French Servian
(1920)
I agree with the proposal because if they do not know other language; they
have to talk in their native language because the child is going to acquire the
language of the community at the school, for example.
Type 4. Double non-dominant home language without community support
Parents: Parents do not share the same native language.
Community: The dominant language is different from either of the parent’s
languages.
Strategy: The parents speak their own language to the child.
The studies:
Author Mother Father Community My proposal
language language language language
Elwrt (1959) English German Italian English/German
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This case is more difficult. I agree with the proposal; however, I am not sure if it
is the correct way. Due to that they do not have another choice. I consider the
child is not going to acquire good proficiency on the parent’s languages
because he or she can be confused and can mix both languages.
Type 5. Non-native parents
Parents: Parents share the same native language.
Community: The dominant language is the same as that of the parents.
Strategy: One of the parents always addresses the child in a language which is
not his/her native language.
The studies:
Author Mother Father Community My proposal
language language language language
Saunders English English English German
(1982) (German)
I am not good speaker and that is one of the reasons why I am study the LEI
program. I want to teach my soon of this way; however, if somebody wants to
try this, the person has to have a very good English level; it is difficult to teach a
different language that it is spoken in the community especially if just one of the
parents try to teach to the child and it is not his o her native language.
Type 6. Mixed languages
Parents: Parents are bilinguals.
Community: Sector of community may also be bilingual.
Strategy: Parents code-switch and mix languages.
The studies:
Author Mother Father Community My
language language language proposal
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language
Tabouret- French/German French/German French/German French
Keller
(1962)
Ellul (1978) Maltese/English Maltese/English Maltese/English Maltese
Smith English English Chinese English
(1935)
Burling English English Garo English
(1959)
In this case my suggestion is that the parents choose one language for teaching
the child at home but this language should be the less speaking in the
community. This is due to the other language will be teach in the school or in
the church or any where the child goes. The child should identify with one
language as his or her mother tongue.
Bilingualism is considered a necessity around the world. Families want to reach
bilingualism for their kids or for their young people including adults. Adults and
children can become bilingual taking in consideration these routes: learning two
languages early at home, acquiring a second language in the street, learning
the other language in the neighborhood or taking formal language classes
(Baker, 2001). Independently which route is taken or which strategy is used,
both, children and adults can reach bilingualism later or early.
_________
In conclusion, adults and children can become bilingual taking the best choice.
Both routes permit reaching bilingualism but it is not an easy task, especially for
adults. A combination of strategies or ways for acquiring the language is always
helpful. But be carefully, acquiring a second language it must be a constant
effort that never finish. It is necessary to maintain it, in order to do not lose it.
_____________________
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_____________________________________
Vernacular languages are used for thousands around the world. The term
vernacular has some definitions: Languages that are not standardized and
codified; languages that they do not have official status, languages that are
learnt as first languages in an ethnic group, language that is spoken by a non
dominant group, and languages that are used for everyday interaction. This
essay explains these last two definitions.
According to the UNESCO, vernacular languages are those which are used
widely by a group socially or politically dominated by another group with
different language. For instance in USA English is the first language spoken by
the dominant group and Spanish is considerate and referred as Chicano
vernacular language On the other hand, Spanish language in Central America
is not vernacular language because of is the official language and moreover is
the language spoken by the dominant group. However, Paraguay has Spanish
languages as the official language, most people speak Guarani therefore
Spanish is considerate as the vernacular language in that country.
Another consideration about vernacular languages is that are referred as the
languages for everyday interaction in specific context or domain. Some point
out of, it is learnt in home as the firs variety and it is widely used as language of
solidarity between people of the same ethnic group. For instance, “Hebrew was
a language for ritual and religion with no native speakers” (Holmes, 2001). Due
to Hebrew became the language of everyday communication, it was
considerate as a vernacular language. Taking into account this consideration,
any language that has native speaker it must be considerate as vernacular
language, including those which are standardized.
In conclusion, there is not a specific definition by the term vernacular and when
this word was coined many consideration did not take into account. In most of
books vernacular language are defined as that language that are not
standardized, used in a ethnic group and has no official status. In my personal
point of view the last definition is out of context due to that all languages around
the world would be considered vernacular language because they are used in
everyday communication.
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REFERENCES
Holmes, J. (2001). Introduction to sociolinguistics. Edinburg: Person.
UNESCO. (1953). The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
_____________________________
As a conclusion, I can say that there are different ways of expressing something
in the same language and we can talk and behavior differently according to the
circumstances, even if we use a codified or not codified language. Also, people
who speak only one language usually borrow words from other languages, and
use such words either consciously or unconsciously. It is clear that our
language variation depends about some factors such as context, relationship,
topic and other social factors such as sex, status, education including
background.
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