{"id":40652,"date":"2019-07-17T14:38:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T12:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/?p=40652"},"modified":"2019-07-17T14:38:44","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T12:38:44","slug":"8-hidden-benefits-of-being-bilingual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/8-hidden-benefits-of-being-bilingual\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Hidden Benefits of Being Bilingual"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unless you were raised<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to be bilingual, speaking two languages can require years of study and hard work. Even once you\u2019ve acquired a second language, it\u2019s a case of use it or lose it. If you don\u2019t regularly speak, read in, or listen to that second language, you\u2019ll start to lose your fluency. However, all that hard work does pay off<\/strong><\/em><\/span> and there are many advantages to speaking a second language.<\/p>\n

Read on to discover eight benefits of being bilingual.<\/p>\n

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1. The cognitive benefits are enormous<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Research has shown that speaking a second language increases the activity in the frontal lobes<\/strong><\/em><\/span> of your brain, starting from a very early age. A study from the University of Washington<\/a> measured the brain activity of toddlers exposed to two languages from birth.<\/p>\n

The researchers found more activity in bilingual toddlers than their monolingual peers<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. However, if you weren\u2019t taught two languages as a child, don\u2019t worry! As adults, learning a second language improves your memory and multitasking<\/strong><\/em><\/span> abilities as well as your attention span and focus.<\/p>\n

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2. You adapt easily to different situations<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

As a bilingual person, you\u2019ll be used to switching<\/strong><\/em><\/span> between different languages depending on context. Maybe you speak one language at work and another at home, or one language with your family and another with your friends. This linguistic flexibility helps your brain to adapt easily to change, meaning that new or unfamiliar situations – even ones that have nothing to do with language – don\u2019t feel as challenging<\/strong><\/em><\/span> as they otherwise might.<\/p>\n

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3. You\u2019ll be in the majority<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Around the world, more than half of the world\u2019s population – some estimates say 60% – 70% – speak more than one language. Moreover, there are many countries that have more than one official language, such as Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, and South Africa. Even countries that are officially monolingual – like Spain – have more than one official language in regions of the country.<\/p>\n

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4. You\u2019re protecting your brain against ageing<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Studies of people with Alzheimers<\/a> have confirmed that speaking a second language slows the onset<\/strong><\/em><\/span> of age-related brain disease. The extra work of learning a second language makes your brain stronger, for longer. The onset of Alzheimers in bilingual people was delayed by an average of five years. And good news – this cognitive protection works at any age, meaning that even if you don\u2019t speak a second language, you can start language classes tomorrow and still reap the benefits<\/strong><\/em><\/span>!<\/p>\n

 
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5. Travelling will be easier for you<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

If your first or second language is one of the big world languages – especially English – then no matter where you go in the world, it is likely that you\u2019ll be able to communicate.This will make travelling a lot easier for you! When you can communicate through a common<\/strong><\/em><\/span> language with the people around you, you\u2019ll have a much more authentic experience than someone who is unable to speak to the local people.<\/p>\n

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6. You\u2019ll be more attractive to a potential partner<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

More than three thousand people were surveyed across the UK and the USA to see how bilingualism is perceived<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. Over two thirds of the respondents said that being able to speak a second language makes people more attractive. Plus, speaking another language will open up your dating options to a whole new group of people. If you learn French, for example, you\u2019ll be able to communicate with the 275 million people worldwide who speak French. That\u2019s a lot of dates!<\/p>\n

 
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7. You\u2019ll learn another language more quickly<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Once you\u2019ve mastered<\/strong><\/em><\/span> the grammatical complexities of not one but two languages, learning a third language is easier for you. A study<\/a> from 2011 found that when it came to learning English, bilingual students outperformed<\/strong><\/em><\/span> monolingual students by 13% on their test results. It seems that speaking a second language improves the learning process of a third language.<\/p>\n

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8.You\u2019ll gain a new perspective on the world<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Ludwig Witterstein, an Austrian philosopher who himself spoke three languages, once said, \u201cThe limits of my language mean the limits of my world.\u201d Speaking a second language gives you access to cultures, experiences and traditions that you wouldn\u2019t have without speaking that language. Bilingualism definitely broadens your horizons<\/strong><\/em><\/span> and gives you a new perspective on other cultures.<\/p>\n

 
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At Oxford House we offer both English and Spanish courses. So, if you\u2019re interested in learning a second language (or a third!) head over to our website<\/a> to find out more about all our upcoming courses.<\/p>\n

Soon you\u2019ll be receiving all the benefits of bilingualism too!<\/p>\n

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Glossary for Language Learners<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

Raised (adj):<\/strong>:<\/em><\/span> taught by your parents during childhood.<\/p>\n

To pay off (pv):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to have a benefit.<\/p>\n

Frontal lobes (n)):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> the front part of your brain.<\/p>\n

Peer (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> someone on the same level as you.<\/p>\n

Multitasking (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> doing two or more things at the same time.<\/p>\n

To switch (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to change from one thing to another.<\/p>\n

Challenging (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> difficult.<\/p>\n

Onset (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> beginning.<\/p>\n

To reap the benefits (exp):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> when something good happens after you have worked hard.<\/p>\n

Common (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> shared with someone else.<\/p>\n

To perceive (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to see something subjectively.<\/p>\n

To outperform (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to do better than someone else in a task, activity or exam.<\/p>\n

To broaden your horizons (exp):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to get, through learning or travel, a bigger knowledge of the world.<\/p>\n

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Key<\/strong><\/p>\n

adj = adjective<\/p>\n

pv = phrasal verb<\/p>\n

v = verb<\/p>\n

n = noun<\/p>\n

exp = expression<\/p>\n

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Study English at Oxford House Barcelona<\/h4><\/i>Interested in taking an English course at Oxford House Barcelona? Check all the different English classes<\/a> we can offer you, or our summer courses<\/a>, and contact us<\/a> for more information.<\/div>
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Unless you were raised to be bilingual, speaking two languages can require years of study and hard work. Even once you\u2019ve acquired a second language, it\u2019s a case of use it or lose it. If you don\u2019t regularly speak, read in, or listen to that second language, you\u2019ll start to lose your fluency. However, all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":40653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[]},"categories":[268],"tags":[8499,8498,195],"yst_prominent_words":[2040,8493,8482,8480,1543,4373,8485,8483,8481,1253,2486,8495,8471,8469,8484,8491,8490,1078,6188,8494],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40652"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40652"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40663,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40652\/revisions\/40663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40652"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=40652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}