I found the reading about bilingualism very interesting because there is a huge change in researchers’ attitude. For the past many years, people thought that speaking two languages is a hindrance for intellectual development. However, recently, people began to say that bilinguals are smarter than others.
Actually, we cannot doubt the interference that speaking two languages brings. For myself, speaking Chinese and English might sometimes affect each other: When I am speaking in English, I might translate all the words I want to say from Chinese to English. Same thing happens in reverse. When I am talking to my Chinese friends, sometimes my first reaction is to say several English words. Interestingly, researchers found out that this interference could be a good practice in some ways because it pushes the brain to solve the conflict and be stronger.
Personally, I hold some critical views on this topic. First, I think people change their attitude mostly because of the growing need to master two languages. Because of globalization and internationalism, more and more people are willing to and tend to learn at least two languages. Therefore, bilinguals are more common and popular. Second, I do not fully agree with the argument that learning two languages improve people’s IQ. think that people who are smarter might be brave to challenge themselves and choose to learn two languages.
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