Being bicultural and/or bilingual.

The implications of being bicultural and/or bilingual.

introduction

The words “bilingual” and “bilingualism” have many different meanings depending on the context they are used in. They can include the knowledge and use of two or more languages, the presentation of information in two languages, the need for two languages, the recognition of two or more languages, and so on. ( Grosjean, F.2013,p.5)

The following will present immediate information related to key concepts such as: bicultural and bilingual, pointing out the differences between being bilingual and bicultural, examples of being bilingual, bicultural and bilingual and bicultural and the respective conclusions provided to the topic of study.

but it is clear that bilingualism is found in all age groups, in all levels of society, and in most countries. For example, a European Commission report (2006) showed that some 56% of the inhabitants of 25 European countries speak a second language well enough to have a conversation in it. ( Grosjean, F.2013,p.5)

General objective

To present a clear explanation of the concepts of bilingual and bicultural, differences and characteristics that people who master more than one language have to categorize themselves as bilingual or bicultural.

Bilingualism

Bilingualism is the use of two or more languages (or dialects) in everyday life

the majority of bilinguals do not have equal fluency in their languages, many have an accent in at least one of their languages, and many acquired their other language(s) when they were adolescents or adults. As we will see, bilinguals use their languages for different purposes, in different domains of life, to accomplish different things. Their level of fluency in a language depends on their need for that language. ( Grosjean, F.2013,p.7)

Biculturals

 can be characterized in the following way (Grosjean, 2008; see also Nguyen and Benet-Martinez, 2007): 1. They take part, to varying degrees, in the life of two or more cultures. 2. They adapt, in part at least, their attitudes, behaviors, values, languages, etc. to these cultures. 3. They combine and blend aspects of the cultures involved. Some of these come from one or the other culture(s) whereas others are blends of the cultures. Hence, some aspects of the bicultural are adaptable and controllable (this allows the bicultural to adapt to the context and situation) but other aspects are more static; they are blends of the cultures and cannot be adapted as easily

In conclusion, a bilingual person focuses on the contents of the second language being learned while a bicultural person knows not only the language but all the cultural and language implications that apply according to the context.

Examples

Other countries, which witnessed the emigration of its populations some while back, are now seeing the influx of new immigrants. In the majority of cases, migrants acquire the language of the host country and hence become bilingual; there are also many cases where the original inhabitants adopt the new language, such as with American Indians in North America.

 you often find bilinguals who are not bicultural. They have always lived in one culture but they know and use two or more languages. This is the case, for example, of Swiss Germans who speak both Swiss German and standard German but who are culturally Swiss. You also find biculturals who are not bilinguals such as British expatriates in the United States. And, of course, you find people who are both bicultural and bilingual as in the case of immigrants, many of whom have acquired their second language in their country of adoption and who have acculturated into their new culture. ( Grosjean, F.2013,p.22)

Let us take a very simple example, that of English “bread” and French “pain.” A bilingual who has only known one type of bread (i.e., a bilingual who is not bicultural) will refer to the same reality when he or she hears, or uses, “pain” and “bread.” Since this bilingual has interacted with just one culture, and its various component subcultures, there is every chance that the meaning of the two words will be very similar. A bicultural bilingual, on the other hand, who has lived both in the United States and France, for example, will have very different concepts for these words since the “pain” reality and the “bread” reality is very different (“pain” refers to the baguette type bread in many bicultural bilinguals whereas “bread” refers to a larger loaf baked in a bread pan). The same case can be made for French “café” and English “coffee” – probably very similar meanings in monocultural bilinguals but very different meanings in bicultural bilinguals. ( Grosjean, F.2013,p.23)

 

Conclusions.

The words “bilingual” and “bilingualism” have many different meanings depending on the context they are used in. They can include the knowledge and use of two or more languages, the presentation of information in two languages, the need for two languages, the recognition of two or more languages, and so on.

“first decision bilinguals have to make relates to the language to use for the interaction or task at hand. When they are in a monolingual mode, this appears to be a relatively simple task. Basically, the bilingual deactivates other languages, and sticks to the language of the monolingual interlocutor(s) or situation” ( Grosjean, F.2013,p.20)

Both concepts go hand in hand and under adequate education individuals must have the need to know a language and outside their grammatical rules and other contents must know the cultural implications to be able to appropriate that language in the right way.

videos of Step 2

Autor: Belly Martinez Hoyos

REFERENCES

Grosjean, F. (2013). Bilingualism: A short introduction. In Grosjean, F. & Li, P (Eds.), The psycholinguistics of bilingualism. pp. 5-25. John Wiley & Sons. https://www.francoisgrosjean.ch/bilin_bicult/25%20Grosjean.pdf

Mejía, A. (2006). Bilingual Education in Colombia: Towards a Recognition of Languages, Cultures and Identities. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, (8), 152–168. https://revistas.udistrital.edu.co/index.php/calj/article/view/176