Learning languages

1. Learning languages *A bilingual person is anyone who has a minimal competence in another language which is not the mother tongue What does being bilingual mean? *An individual phenomenon which can extend from a minimal scope to a total comprehension of a language

2. Demistifying old myths regarding bilingualism • Bilingualism comprises multilinguism (contact with more than two languages) • Present everyday • Enriching: It gives a relativist view of languages and cultures • Constantly changing as a consequence of cultural, political, migratory movement Sociolinguistic aspects which determine the use of a language • Economic factors determine the use of a language • Feelings and attitudes towards the use of the mother tongue or the foreign language. Does it help the person to make progress? • Government´s decision to consider a language as official

3. Types of bilinguism • Individual: Essential mode but needs to reach the other types to be socially relevant • Institutional: development of bilinguism in the primary, secondary and college stages • Functional: Spontaneous linguistic uses in social and economic relationships in the communities According to a binary typology • BY CHOICE VS BY CIRCUMSTANCE • ADDITIVE VS SUBTRACTIVE • ACTIVE VS PASSIVE • COORDINATED VS COMPOUND • BY CHOICE + ADDITIVE • PEOPLE CHOOSE TO BECOME BILINGUAL • BY TAKING FORMAL PRIVATE LESSONS. • 2. IN THEIR SOCIETY THE MAJORITY SPEAKS • THEIR MOTHER TONGUE. • 3. THEY CAN ADD ANOTHER LANGUAGE TO • THEIR GENERAL LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE • BY CIRCUMSTANCE AND SUBTRACTIVE • PEOPLE HAVE TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE • TO SURVIVE. • 2. THEIR MOTHER TONGUE IS NOT ENOUGH TO • MEET THE COMMUNICATIVE NEEDS, IT IS NOT • OFFICIAL OR PRESTIGIOUS. • 3. THE ACQUISITION OF THIS SECOND LANGUAGE • IMPLIES THE LOSS OF THE MOTHER TONGUE

4. ACTIVE *THE PERSON CAN UNDERSTAND AS WELL AS EXPRESS HIM/HERSELF PASSIVE *THE PERSON CAN UNDERSTAND BUT CAN´T EXPRESS HIM/HERSELF COORDINATED BILINGUISM *THE PERSON HAS TWO DIFFERENT LINGUISTIC SYSTEMS SEPARATED IN THEIR MIND. *USUALLY LANGUAGES ARE LEARNT IN DIFFERENT STAGES COMPOUND BILINGUISM *THE PERSON IS REALLY COMPETENT IN BOTH LANGUAGES AND THE COMMUNICATIVE SITUATIONS ALLOW THEM TO USE ONE OR THE OTHER INDISTINCTLY *THEY TEND TO BE FLUENT IN BOTH LANGUAGES BUT BECAUSE THE LEARNING PROCESS WAS MIXED AND CONFUSING THEY CAN´T HANDLE EITHER OF THEM DEEPLY OTHER IMPORTANT BYNARY DIFFERENCES 5. EARLY VS LATE 6.SIMULTANEOUS VS CONSECUTIVE 7.BY CIRCUMNSTANCE INCIPIENT VS FUNCTIONAL 8.HORIZONTAL VS VERTICAL VS DIAGONAL

5. VS LATE *THE PEOPLE LEARNED THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE WHEN THEY WERE CHILDREN AND LEARNED A SECOND LANGUAGE WHEN THEY WERE ADULTS THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT BRAIN AREAS WITH A CLEAR CUT BETWEEN THEM EARLY *LANGUAGES ARE BOTH ACQUIRED DURING CHILDHOOD AND THE PEOPLE HAVE ONLY ONE BRAIN REGION, CALLED BROCCA AREA CONNECTED WITH THE BASIC LINGUISTIC FUNCTIONS SIMULTANEOUS *CHILDREN WHO DEVELOP TWO LANGUAGES SINCE THEY ARE VERY LITTLE IN AN INFORMAL AND UNINTENTIONAL WAY. CONSECUTIVE *THE CHILD ACQUIRES THE SECOND LANGUAGE IN HIS CHILDHOOD BUT AFTER HE HAS ACQUIRED THE LINGUISTIC BASES OF HIS MOTHER TONGUE. INCIPIENT *THE PERIOD DURING WHICH A PERSON ACUIRES THE NEW LANGUAGE. INCIPIENT *THIS IS THE STAGE WHEN THE LANGUAGE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED AND THERE MIGHT BE MANY FOSSILIZED ELEMENTS OR A KIND OF DIALECT HORIZONTAL *WHEN THERE ARE TWO OFFICIAL LANGUAGES WITH THE SAME CULTURAL AND FAMILY STATUS VERTICAL * IMPLIES THE USE OF AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE AND A DIALECT. DIAGONAL *INVOLVES THE USE OF A DIALECT OR NON- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE TOGETHER WITH AN OFFICIAL ONE.

6. MULTICULTURAL BILINGUAL EDUCATION FOSTERS SOCIO-CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND THE PROCESS THROUGH WHICH WE BUILD OUR IDENTITY IN A RESPECTFUL AND TOLERANT WAY MULTICULTURALITY TRANSCULTURALISM IS THE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TOWARDS “THE OTHER” SOCIAL PHENOMENON REFERS TO THE EXISTENCE OF MANY CULTURES IN A GEOPOLITICAL SPACE MULTICULTURALISM: INITIATES INTERRELATION, EXCHANGE AND FOSTERS ACKNLODGEMENT OF THE EXISTENCE OF “THE OTHERS”