Reflect on your experiences of (trying to) read and write in your target language. Are you bilingual? If so, would you agree with the arguments made in the two readings on bilingualism.
I do not read and write in Quechua because I have only focused my learning on the speaking portion of the language. The only way I use the writing and reading portion of Quechua is when I spell things out so I can remember them. I use phonetic spelling of how I would pronounce the word, so that I can remember it.
I consider myself a native bilingual speaker in English and Spanish. I generally agree with the articles, except I am not sure if I would consider being bilingual smarter or just more experienced or perceptive. In particular, I agree that language is a form of perception because it is an exposure to two different cultures. This not only forces one to be adaptable, but also to be able to see things from various perspectives. As for the second argument, I think that being bilingual can definitely make a person smarter because they are able to communicate in two languages. However, I understand that, for some people, speech is not considered an intelligence trait. Thus, bilingual may not make one smarter, but rather more charismatic, sociable, or perhaps more in tune with the emotions or vibes of others (perceptive).
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