[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on Bilingualism
Bilingualism is what we defined as the notion of using two languages simultaneously with equal proficiency in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. It might be possible that each of the skills is not developed equally. Most of the bilinguals are not equally proficient in both the languages. Even if a person is proficient in a language it is often possible for him to find it easier to discuss in other language. E.g., someone generally stronger in Russian than in English may find it easier to talk about baseball in English.
Native speakers of two languages are sometimes called equilingual, or ambilingual, if their mastery of both languages is equal. Some bilinguals are persons who were reared by parents who each spoke a different language or who spoke a language different from the one used in school. In some countries, especially those with two or more official languages, schools encourage bilinguilism by requiring intensive study of a second language. Bilinguals sometimes exhibit code-switching, or switching from one language to the other in the middle of a conversation or even the same sentence; it may be triggered by the use of a word that is similar in both languages.
According to the 1990 United States Census, one in seven or 31.8 million people speak a language other than English in their home. In the past, second generation children were encouraged to adopt the customs, culture, and language of what was identified as the majority culture. Today, with greater recognition and celebration of cultural differences, people are more likely to maintain and share their primary language with their children and to promote bilingualism as a reflection of ethnic pride and identity. (Kidsource OnLine, Inc., 2000)Even if someone is a highly proficient bilingual at the performance or output level, his so-called bilingual competence may not be as balanced......
