What does it mean to be bilingual? What are the different types of bilingualism?
Is it possible for anyone to become bilingual or multilingual? And how can you become bilingual in English and your native language?
Hopefully this episode will answer a few of these questions and introduce the concept of bilingualism to all of you!
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Vocabulary
- Bilingualism (Noun): The ability to use two languages well.
- There are different types and levels of bilingualism.
- Lingua franca (Noun): A common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages.
- English has become the lingua franca of international business.
- Proficiency (Noun): Skill or expertise in a particular field or subject.
- After years of practice, she achieved a high level of proficiency in playing the piano.
- Simultaneous (Adjective): Occurring, existing, or done at the same time.
- The conference was translated into five languages and broadcasted simultaneously around the world.
- Dominant (Adjective): Having power or influence over others.
- In this region, English is the dominant language in educational institutions.
- Sequential (Adjective): Happening in a particular order or sequence.
- The textbook presents the material in a sequential manner.
- Balanced (Adjective): Having equal proportions of different elements.
- A balanced diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Introduction
I’m sure that many of you listening today have the ultimate goal of becoming bilingual in English and your native language.
In fact, many of you are probably already bilingual, trilingual, or multilingual speakers of other languages, and now trying to add English as your next language.
Being able to speak more than one language fluently is an excellent achievement, but it is actually pretty common.
43% of the world population are estimated to be bilingual, 13% trilingual, and 40% monolingual.
If we look at the dictionary definition of bilingual, it states that bilingual is an adjective meaning “able to use two languages equally well.”
And there are many reasons why someone might want to be or become bilingual in English, specifically.
English is one of the most widely spoken languages globally, serving as a lingua franca in many fields such as business, science, technology, and diplomacy. If you are bilingual in English and your native language, you’ll be able to communicate effectively across the world.
Bilingual speakers get better career opportunities. I was looking for jobs in Japan (please become a Patreon subscriber so I don’t need to find a job) and they advertise bilingual job opportunities.
If you interested in studying or going to university, being bilingual in English also has its advantages.
These are just a few of the reasons why someone might want to become bilingual. And many of you will have this goal. So, how can you become bilingual in English?
As with anything, I think we need to understand the concept of bilingualism and investigate what it really means to be a bilingual language speaker.
The defintion from the dictionary I gave earlier, “able to use two languages equally well”, is broad, general, and not particularly useful.
Yes – you need to be able to use two languages to be classed as bilingual. But there are different ways to become bilingual, different definitions of the term, and different views on bilingualism.
Let’s investigate a little further.
Defining Bilingualism
The first thing to point out is that even linguists (experts who study languages) disagree over exact and precise definitions of what makes someone “bilingual.”
I think most people, and most of you listening, would define bilingual as complete control and mastery over two languages, as if they were both your native language. This idealised view is the one used by the linguist Leonard Bloomfield in 1930.
The idea is that you can speak two languages equally well, to full native proficiency and fluency. I think this is the image many people have of bilingual people, and the goal many English learners have. Full and complete bilingualism.
This is not most people’s experience in the real world and is, to be completely honest, an unrealistic ambition or goal for the vast majority of people.
There are other definitions from academics out there.
William F Mackey described bilingualism as the “the use of two or more languages by the individual” – importantly doesn’t mention the requirement of native level fluency.
Or Francois Grosjean suggests a bilingual person is someone who uses two languages in their daily lives for everyday reasons. I guess this could suggest I’m bilingual, as I use Japanese every day even though I’m nowhere near native proficiency.
As you can see, there is no one simple definition of being bilingual. Perhaps it would be useful if we take a look at a few different types of bilingualism.
Simultaneous Bilingualism
First, we should look at how and when people learn languages and become bilingual.
When a person learns two languages from birth, this is called simultaneous bilingualism. If you’re listening to Thinking in English, it is likely you started learning English a little later in life – usually at school. But many bilingual individuals grow up speaking two languages at home.
In this situation, a child is exposed to and learns two languages simultaneously, usually because they are spoken in their household. This often happens when parents speak different languages to each other, when one language is spoken at home and another in the community, or when a family moves to a new country where a different language is dominant.
Children who grow up in environments where two languages are spoken regularly tend to become fluent or near fluent speakers of both languages, often without a clear preference for one over the other.
Their learning and development in both languages usually progresses concurrently (meaning they learn and develop at the same time), and simultaneous bilinguals may switch between languages fluidly and easily.
Sequential Bilingualism
The alternative to simultaneous bilingualism is sequential bilingualism.
Sequential bilingualism refers to learning a second language after you’ve already learned your first language.
Sequential bilingualism can happen for various reasons, such as moving to a new country, attending a school where the language is different from your home language, or deliberately learning later in life.
I think this is most relevant to the majority of you listening!
Unlike learning two languages at the same time, sequential bilingualism can present different challenges. Factors such as age of acquisition, level of exposure to the second language, motivation, and individual differences can all influence your proficiency and fluency.
For example, people who become sequential bilinguals may keep some aspects or characteristics from their first language. This could be an accent or certain pieces of grammar.
And they might be better at one language than the other, depending on their experiences and how much they use each language.
Balanced Bilingualism vs. Dominant Bilingualism
This leads us into definitions of bilingual based on ability and fluency.
Passive bilinguals are people who can understand and comprehend two languages but may not actively speak or use both languages regularly. I know people who spent part of their early lives in foreign countries, learning new languages at school, and can still understand a lot but no longer are able to speak very well.
Dominant bilinguals are people who have a significantly higher level of proficiency or preference for one language over the other. I think this is the case for many bilingual people.
For example, I have some good friends who would be classed as bilingual. They can speak, for example, English and Japanese fluently. However, their English is better when it comes to academic writing and business communication because they were educated at English speaking schools and universities. English is dominant, even though they speak both really well.
A balanced bilingual is a person who has equal proficiency and fluency in both languages they speak. Most often this will be children educated bilingually.
I also found an article that mentioned a term above balanced bilingual – equilingual. This would be a person who possesses equal competence and proficiency in two languages, with no preference for either language in terms of usage or skill.
I guess the difference between balanced and equilingual is one of nuance. You could be balanced, but not full native level proficiency in either language. Equilingual makes it clear that you are a native speaker of two languages.
What Does it Mean to Be Bilingual?
Hopefully you can now see that the definition of bilingualism, and what it means to be bilingual, is not a clear and simple thing.
I’ve shown you how linguists disagree over the exact definitions. And I’ve looked at how we can divide bilinguals based on when and how they started learning, and the level of ability or fluency in their languages.
There are actually even more ways to divide bilinguals. We could talk about early and late bilinguals: early bilinguals start learning as young children and late bilinguals start learning later in life.
Or the linguist Uriel Weinrich classified bilinguals into compound, coordinate, and subordinate. This classification is based on how you store and understand information.
For example, if you are bilingual in English and Japanese, do you store the words dog and inu (Japanese for dog) in your brain as completely separate terms, connected together, or do you understand one word through the other vocabulary (like thinking inu means dog when you hear the word – using English to understand the Japanese).
Why does any of this matter?
I think understanding the differences and varieties of bilingualism is really important.
First, I think it should give you guys hope and optimism. Yes – you will never be able to become simultaneously bilingual, and it will be really difficult to become equilingual (native speaker in two languages). However, there are many other ways to become bilingual – sequentially, dominant bilinguals, or balanced bilinguals.
Understanding how bilingualism can be different, and how bilingual people learn in different circumstances, can also help when it comes to finding jobs that require “bilingual people”.
For example, when I’m searching for jobs in Japan many of them ask for “bilingual” Japanese and English speakers. This could mean they want people raised simultaneously bilinguals and equally proficient in both languages.
But, actually, I don’t think this is always the case. There aren’t enough people who fit this defintion – and the company is using the term “bilingual” to mean business level in English and Japanese.
I’ve actually met people raised as simultaneous bilinguals, with the ability to speak both English and Japanese to a really high level, but who could not read or write Japanese to a really high level. In this case, a non-native speaker, who has become bilingual through years of study, may be better suited to a job that requires you to write a lot.
How to (and Should You) Become Bilingual?
After spending most of this episode talking about the different types of bilinguals, I think many of you will be wanting some advice on how to become bilingual, at least some form of bilingual, yourselves.
There is some simple advice I can give you. Starting learning as early as possible will be really helpful – so if you want your children to be bilingual in English, or any language, start introducing them to English as soon as possible!
And you should all be engaging in regular, daily English practice. Keep developing your English skills and you will become a much more proficient speaker.
However, I don’t think there is any concrete advice that I can personally give.
There are many different types and levels of bilingualism. In fact, I think many of you would already be classed as bilingual speakers of some kind.
The best advice I can give is to set achievable and deliberate goals for your English learning. Rather than aiming at “being bilingual”, focus on something more realistic, measurable, or attainable.
While my overall dream is to be a balanced, or near-balanced, bilingual in English and Japanese, this isn’t my current goal. My goal right now is passing a Japanese exam in July, and then pass the next level in 2025.
You can listen to my study plan and strategies over on Patreon in a recent bonus episode.
I think this will allow me to focus and stay motivated and accountable while studying, but also push me towards higher proficiency in English and Japanese!
Final Thought
Understanding what being bilingual really means is not as straightforward as you may think.
Understanding bilingualism requires exploring different levels and definitions of language proficiency, learning, and usage. We’ve seen that there’s no single definition, as experts have varied perspectives.
Whether you’ve learned two languages simultaneously since childhood or picked up a second language later in life, these are both valid forms of bilingualism that bring with them challenges and benefits.
The distinctions between different types of bilingualism—including balanced, dominant, passive—demonstrates the diverse ways people use and understand languages.
While aiming for fluency in multiple languages is admirable, it’s important to set achievable goals that align with your motivations and circumstances.
What do you think? Do you aim to be bilingual in English and your native language? Would you consider yourself to be bilingual already?
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