Banner by Amy Zhang

Bilingualism: An Imaginary Conflict 

By Caleb Dang 

Picture this. You’re lying in a field of lush flowers, enjoying a picnic with friends. What do you see? Some may picture a field of lavender, poppies, and tulips reflecting their brightest colors as the sun emits its rays. Others may visualize a scene of cherry blossom petals falling slowly as their pink colors paint against the pale gray sky. Although this specific scene can be attributed to what we’ve seen in movies, the images that we associate with words really come down to our language perception. This association gets even more complicated when multiple languages come into play.  

Language perception is the concept of hearing and then understanding the sounds of words. In a person who speaks only one language (monolingual), the auditory, translational, and memory processes are quite complicated. However, language perception in people who speak two languages (bilinguals) gets even more complex when the two languages begin to map onto each other, essentially competing for the individual’s focus. The balancing of two languages leads to co-activation, a process where fluent bilinguals associate sounds with words in both languages without intention. To understand this a bit better, we need to see what code-switching is and why this is unique to bilinguals. 

According to Albert Costa, a researcher who studied language processing, the alternating use of languages for different communicative purposes, or code-switching, occurs when fluent bilinguals are feeling intense emotions. The reason for this is language precision, and different languages have varying levels of intensity to describe certain emotions. This matters because the individual is trying to convey their most vulnerable emotions accurately. So, how does this relate to co-activation? Even when bilinguals are emotionally intense, they are still able to distinguish between the two competing languages and intentionally switch languages when needed to focus on conveying their emotions with precision. So, if you think about it, co-activation is the opposite of multi-tasking; it’s a skill that requires you to focus on one task while putting aside distractions. 

Not only does being bilingual benefit cognitive development, but the psychosocial developmental effects are quite profound. In an interview with Dr. Marylou Gramm, an English professor at the University of Pittsburgh having taught various international students, she stated that learning new languages “expands your imagination...your sense and sound of rhythm.” When we open ourselves to listening and pronouncing the phonetics, we sort of immerse ourselves in the cultures and the traditions from which the language originated. We get to have more meaningful interpersonal connections with unique people of all sorts of backgrounds, further enriching our understanding of the world and ourselves. Furthermore, when alternating between the two languages, a more comprehensive worldview provides more space for empathy, which is necessary for global peace and justice. 

But what makes bilingualism so hard to study if the benefits seem to overwhelmingly prevail? A few confounding variables could entail cultural expectations stemming from the language, different language combinations, or whether bilinguals learned the second language from birth or later in life. The continuum of the bilingual experience has generated many questions in the scientific world and researchers have tried to create a model task (something to test participants) that not only gives insights into the differences between monolinguals and bilinguals but also accounts for different bilingual experiences. 

The importance of studying bilingualism for the future cannot be emphasized. As our world becomes more interconnected, diplomacy is key to a healthy and thriving society. So what can you do now to get started? Take advantage of your foreign language courses and make the most of each opportunity to learn the beauty of each culture’s traditions. Study abroad and immerse yourself in a new environment to expand your worldview. Hang out with people of different interests and engage in the global conversation.