In response to the “Why bilinguals are smarter” and “Are bilinguals really smarter?” readings:
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about this “bilinguals are smarter” idea. Of course, the media always tends to twist the wording in their titles a bit to draw people’s attention, but essentially the idea is that learning an additional language helps the brain improve and acquire certain executive functions, and the ability to exercise these functions is considered a “smart skill.” But, intelligence has always been subjective. Most people might see learning multiple languages as a good thing, but I can see some possible drawbacks, such as lack of depth in any one particular language. For example, bilinguals generally know more vocabulary overall, but for each individual language they may know fewer words than average. It’s the same idea as doing many things mediocrely or doing a few things excellently. Of course, it’s possible to be fluent at many languages, but it’ll take time and the learner has to decide whether or not they are willing to input the time to learning the new language and what they are willing to sacrifice. Time spent learning a new language is time not spent reviewing your old language. It may also be best if he does not take up additional languages besides that one language, so that he doesn’t increase the ‘distraction’ while trying to master that one foreign language. But, this then begs the question ‘is it practical to learn any single language in depth?’ Personally, I’m a very practical person so sometimes I feel that as long as I can communicate and get my message across, it’s good enough. But then there’s something called the human ego that drives our desire to be proficient in everything we do. Learning the language in depth also shows your appreciation for the language’s culture. But, there are definitely some advantages to being monolingual too, so it’s not really a matter of who’s smarter than whom. In the end, it really depends on the individual, what their goals are in life, and whether language acquisition is a priority for them.
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