Bilinguals are smarter, says science. But the idea is relatively new. Up until the 1970s, most educators had believed that learning two languages at the same time would confuse children and slow their cognitive growth.
Science disagreed with these opinions, says Ellen Bialystok, a professor of psychology. The arrival of new technology in the 1970s allowed scientists a new way to investigate how different brains process language.
Bialystok has been researching the bilingual brain for decades. She firmly believes bilinguals aren’t smarter than the single-language learners, but bilingual brains differ in their use of executive function-a system that both helps the brain access particular regions or memories and allows a person to switch between tasks.
Contrary to media reports, executive function is not the same as intelligence, Bialystok adds. Even if the relationship between bilingualism and actual intelligence is unclear, executive function can help people do a lot of things that may make them seem smarter, such as doing more things at the same time and cancelling out things that take their attention away.
Many people believe that knowing at least one other language makes it easier to learn a new one, and cognitive function may play a part in that-the equivalent of good study habits for your brain. But Bialystok thinks cognitive function has less impact on language learners than the similarities between languages’ structure and vocabulary. “In learning those patterns, you can get a bit of a free ride in learning a new language,” she says. Despite the overall cognitive benefits, bilingualism may present some disadvantages. When children learn vocabulary, monolinguals can spend more time remembering words in one language, while bilinguals have to construct two different vocabularies.
“The biggest advantage in being bilingual is the same as having great international friends: It allows a person to understand a different way of thinking, with unique philosophies and assumptions about how others see the world,” Bialystok adds.
【小题1】What did most educators think of children’s bilingualism before the 1970s?| A．It surely made kids smarter. | B．It could be a terrible experience. |
| C．It should be taught separately. | D．It may promote cognitive growth. |
| A．Executive function. | B．Cognitive function. |
| C．Similar language patterns. | D．Good study habits. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Conservative. | C．Tolerant. | D．Objective. |
| A．Are bilinguals really smarter? | B．Should kids learn another language? |
| C．Why do bilinguals have an advantage? | D．What factors affect language learning? |
