International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue01 2025
PAGE NO.
21-24
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue02-06
The language advantage: how multilingualism shapes
our minds
Hayitmurodova Gulinur Zafarovna
Faculty of English Philology, Uzbekistan State Word Languages University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Received:
13 December 2024;
Accepted:
15 January 2025;
Published:
17 February 2025
Abstract:
This article gives information about multilingualism
–
the use of several languages within a certain social
unit, how to become one of multilingual people and the benefits of learning and using two or more languages for
the personal and professional development. It also explains a profound contribution of multilingualism to
cognition, to the brain, to success and wellbeing across the entire lifespan.
Keywords:
Language experience, multilingualism, cognitive aging, bilingual minds, education.
Introduction:
Multilingualism is defined as the ability of
societies, institutions, groups and individuals to
engage, on a regular basis, with more than one
language in their day-to-day lives. It means being able
to speak in multiple languages without any difficulty
[1].
According to the recent research results, the number of
multilingual people is significantly increasing year by
year, meaning more and more people have already
come to a level in which they can understand and use
several languages, in other words, the most of the
world has already become multilingual. The reason why
people learn many languages today is the progress
achieved in the development of science, as well as the
need of people of different nationalities to
communicate with each other due to interest in
learning other cultures. The most studied languages are
English, French, Spanish, Chinese (the fastest-growing
language), Russian, German and Arabic, the most of
multilingual people know at least two of these
languages. In fact, people learn more than one
language for two different reasons: the first is out of
necessity, that is, some people learn a language for
migration, work, travel, education and the second is
just out of interest. All of these reasons are important
for human being to live, to develop and to feel the
certain part of society.
Any given country or society is generally considered as
a multilingual one if its members or citizens are
multilingual. The multilingual citizens on many
occasions tend to show identifiable full range of
communicative competence in several languages in
place. However, there is a rare perfect multilingualism
in practice. The rare perfect practice occurs because
even if we acquire both or several languages in place,
there is always a notable tendency that one language
will always dominate over the others which are
considered subordinates. Multilingualism practice
tends to create the development and general
acquisition of crosscultural communication skills. In this
regard people tend to learn different skills of the
languages in place especially speaking, reading and
even writing. These cross-cultural communication skills
enable one to gain both the communicative and
discourse competencies. Besides the linguistic
consequences, there is also a political consequence
that relies on the economic and political order of the
society This in the long run creates the majority and
minority languages. Some of the majority languages
become more powerful than others [8].
METHODOLOGY
There are too many methods and research findings that
are supposed to improve the process of learning new
languages. Firstly, it should be taught from very young
age. For example, research suggests that children have
a “critical period” for language acquisition that young
babies are not confused by hearing two or more
languages but develop the ability to discriminate
among the languages they hear; they are more open to
new language learning than their monolingually
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exposed counterparts. Adult learners who are well past
early childhood have been shown to be able to acquire
sensitive to the grammar of a second language despite
their age [4]. Aneto Pavlenko who is a Ukrainian
scientist says that there is a strong relationship
between emotions and multilingualism. It will be easier
to learn new languages when they are felt, for instance,
by reading books and watching movies which are the
best sources full of emotions; or another way is
communicating with people more and making friends
from the country of which language is learnt [3]. Cenoz
and Gorter propose the “Focus on Multilingualism”
approach which connects the natural multilingual
practices of pupils to language education. By natural
practices, the scientists want to mean native speakers,
if it is possible, learning the language with native
teachers will fasten to absorb it. In addition, they also
mention learning one language makes learning another
easier, the more language experience you have, the
more unchallenging this process becomes [2].
Being bilingual gives one an understanding of other
cultures and experiences; as a result, a multilingual
person becomes multicultural. Languages don't
function in a vacuum, hence culture and civilization are
essential to their survival. The reason for this is that
language is a sociolinguistic, ethnolinguistic, and
psycholinguistic problem. Language is therefore
dependent on society, culture, and the psyche. In this
sense, being multilingual improves one's innate
comprehension and admiration of the civilizations'
cultural values as expressed in the relevant languages.
Language learning experiences inherently have the
power to alter people's attitudes, abilities, and beliefs
as well as to broaden their perspective on the world.
Both
formally
and
informally,
in
everyday
conversations outside of the classroom, these qualities
are taught.
RESULTS
Being multilingual is supposed to bring many benefits
not only for the academic lives of people but also for
their wellbeing. Studies show that multilingual
individuals have better memory and attention skills,
due to their brains being trained to learn different
language systems. National Institute of Health
emphasizes that there is an important relationship
between multilingualism and cognitive aging, however,
this connection is usually ignored by most of people
who will likely to have changes in 40-50 age not only in
their memories but also in decision making, judgement,
processing speed and learning abilities. As language
function consists of an array of abilities, including
understanding and producing speech, reading, writing
and naming, language processing is a critical element of
cognitive tasks (e.g., the ability to understand written
and spoken instructions). Many people nowadays
complain about their memory as they age,
multilingualism is the solution to this problem, the
more languages they learn, the more benefit their brain
because switching between languages improves brain
plasticity and build cognitive reserve, which may
postpone the onset of age-related cognitive decline [5].
The ability to think in multiple languages also gives
social and cultural benefits. Firstly, it opens doors to
interacting with people from diverse backgrounds,
fostering empathy and understanding across cultures,
which prevents several conflicts among nations.
Secondly, bilingual minds can unlock travel adventures,
have career opportunities abroad being a valuable
asset in a globalized job market and act as a cultural
bridges whose cross-linguistic comprehension and
communication promotes increased collaboration and
understanding amongst people.
Making dictionaries and publishing of grammar and
story books in any language are the fastest ways of
spurring language growth and preservation. There is
also need to do the same using the other native
languages. In order to enhance multilingualism in
education, foreign languages should be introduced as
common courses and or medium of instruction for
teaching specialised disciplines. It is worth noting that
Western University College of Science and Technology
currently referred to as Masinde Muliro in Kenya has
realized the importance of involving other foreign
languages in its proposed good programmes. The
programmes include for example the study of Japanese
language for engineers, French for business studies and
German for tourism This can be replicated as a viable
step in enhancing official multilingualism in education
[9]. Besides, acquiring knowledge and skills in these
programmes, learners will be able to gain proficiency in
these languages. Developing and training both foreign
and indigenous language teachers are very
instrumental steps to help in the achievement of
multilingualism practices in education. This can be
achieved by training more teachers both indigenous
and foreign languages in the training institutions. There
should also be an establishment of translation bodies
with linguistic experts to help in the translation of both
indigenous and foreign languages. This can also be used
to encourage the establishment of bodies like institute
of language research and language councils to enhance
multilingualism practices in education [8].
DISCUSSION
Within the context of language learning and
multilingualism for a better world, language and
culture cannot be separated. In addition to the
traditional emphasis on proficiency, foreign language
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
learning also includes learning about the culture with
the goal of increasing intercultural competence.
Therefore, language learning needs to include
intercultural competence, and language teachers need
to become “teachers of language and culture”, which
means
globalization
and
multilingualism
are
inextricably linked [6]. Globalization is the process by
which available goods and services, or social and
cultural influences gradually become similar in all parts
of the world, impacting on the decline of many existing
languages and cultures. The desire or requirement of
being multilingual can directly affect a disappear of
several languages, especially, of which native
population, educational resources or many other
factors are not enough. On top of that, since most of
parents today try to teach their children not their
mother tongue, but other popular ones, such as
English, Russian and speak them only in those
languages at a young age, the number of speakers of
some languages is decreasing dramatically.
For another, regarding costs, bilinguals typically have
lower formal language proficiency than monolinguals
do; for example, they have smaller vocabularies and
weaker access to lexical items. As for language
application, all of the interviewees said that they have
encountered the occasion where they mix two or more
languages when applying them. For example, after
learning Italian, the second interviewee gradually
realized that her spoken English became worse, since
she was influenced by Italian way of speaking English.
Also, the third interviewee said that he sometimes
spoke French words in English classes. Therefore, a
conclusion can be drawn that being multilingual can
cause some difficulties in language application,
especially in pronunciation.
The integration of language education communication
skills, a crucial instrument for the growth of learners'
speaking and writing abilities, is required by
multilingualism in education. Multilingualism in
education can be achieved through the use of
communicative language teaching that emphasizes
linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, socio-cultural,
social, and strategic competencies as well as theater.
Continuous use of these competencies in the classroom
can make them a reality. Additionally, in a multilingual
setting, the following methods can be used to teach
languages: reading, grammar translation, the direct
method (teaching using the target language), the use of
audiolingual,
and
audiovisual
approaches.
Multilingualism is improved by promoting the use of
indigenous languages in addition to the official and
national languages in the classroom. This fact has been
clearly stated in the UNESCO report of 1953 that
education is somewhat most effective through mother
tongue instructions This is happening because speech
communities already have the communicative
competence and also assigned appropriately various
lexemes to the objects in their physical and cultural
milieu. Thus, learning a different language may not be
difficult but will always be supported by the knowledge
gained from the first language [10].
CONCLUSION
Multilingualism is an inherent human trait. It denotes
both the ability of humans to use three and more
languages, and social situations where such capacity is
utilized. However, it's important to acknowledge and
deal with problems like social isolation, cultural
identity, linguistic dominance, skill, and code-
switching. Despite these drawbacks, multilingual
individuals benefit linguistic diversity, cross-cultural
communication,
international cooperation,
and
intercultural comprehension. Thus, encouraging and
promoting
multilingualism
through
education,
legislation, and cultural events could contribute to the
development of a more unified and peaceful
community
If we can develop a language policy to foster and
encourage language learning and use, ensure that all
our children have the opportunity to learn one or more
additional languages, and incorporate intercultural
understanding and appreciation into foreign language
learning and the use of languages other than English,
our children will have the linguistic skills and cultural
knowledge needed to engage effectively with the world
community as global citizens and play a role in global
solutions and in making the world a better place [7].
When foreign and indigenous languages are included in
the multilingualism practices in education, then we
should always try to avoid imposing these languages to
the people. A keen measure and clear framework
should be taken into account because imposing
languages to people is dangerous and may cause
tensions amongst different ethnic and or speech
communities Furthermore, as you impose a lingua
franca and or foreign languages to people without
developing also the indigenous languages then this may
lead to language death. There are more than 3,000
languages spoken in the world today that are at the
point of dying and some are already extinct Causes of
language death may include among others the
following factors: imposition of languages on the
others, language colonialism, foreign language
dictatorship and assimilation of languages. The revival
of these dying languages can be done by the
incorporation of multilingualism practices in education
and the production of both monolingual and bilingual
dictionaries [8].
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
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