Introduction:
Today, knowing more than two languages means a possibility to explore different scenarios, sometimes people have the ability to speak a second language to a level very close to the native one, but it doesn´t end there, people sometimes get to touch not just a second language but also a culture. Some debates have arisen concerning this fact to a point were protecting indigenous and own culture becomes a matter of concern. In this particular document it'll be possible to find an explanation about the implications of being bicultural and bilingual, as well as its differences, some examples, images regarding the subject and some videos providing different points of view related to this topic, all this bringing a collection that will provide a better understanding about a reality the world is living these days.
General objective:
To identify the concepts of Bilingualism and Biculturalism and its implications in the teaching development, in order to do a constructive criticism of the Colombian Education System based on the National Bilingual Programme (2004-2010), recognizing cultural diversity for a better and tolerant society.
Differences of being bilingual and bicultural:
Bilingual | Bicultural |
A bilingual person is someone who communicate in two languages. It generally implies writing, reading, and speaking fluently. They can be fluent in two languages but seldomly use one. Bilingualism is everywhere in the world, regardless of social class, gender or nationality. Grosjean, F. (2012) says “Bilingualism and biculturalism are not necessarily coextensive. We often find bilinguals who are not bicultural because they have always lived in one culture but they know and use two or more languages”. (p. 22) | A bicultural person is someone who have an immersion in two different cultures and who participate in both cultures of traditions, languages, food, etc. Bicultural can be characterized in the following way (Grosjean, 2008; see also Nguyen and Benet-Martinez, 2007): 1. They take part, to varying degrees, in the life of two or more cultures. 2. They adapt, in part at least, their attitudes, behaviors, values, languages, etc. to these cultures. 3. They combine and blend aspects of the cultures involved. Some of these come from one or the other culture(s) whereas others are blends of the cultures. Hence, some aspects of the bicultural are adaptable and controllable (this allows the bicultural to adapt to the context and situation) but other aspects are more static; they are blends of the cultures and cannot be adapted as easily. Bilingualism and biculturalism are not necessarily coextensive. |
Examples of biculturalism and bilingualism:
There are places where culture and language come hand in hand, for example, in Canada, in some cities it is possible to see people speaking not just English but also French, in the U.S.A. for instance, it is possible to see places like Brooklyn where many people come from different places around the world, some Jewish traditions and the Hebrew language is in effect. Some Italian-American population keep their traditions. Chinatown is a good example of a little reproduction of the Chinese culture in the middle of New York city, Queens also is a place where a mix of English and Spanish, "Spanglish" is a constant routine. With all this is possible to say that North America is definitely a melting pot of bilingualism and biculturalism.
Examples of bilingualism:
• Jorge is a young man with a lot of free time who is passionate about music in English, so he decided to enroll in English classes to learn English so he could understand all the songs.
• Sofi studied for several years at a university in another country, so it was necessary to learn the language of that country and, from her experiences over the years, her language has improved.
• Antonio was born and raised in an area of Canada where the cultures of England and France mix, his father is French and his mother is English, so he knows perfectly the aspects and languages of both cultures.
Examples of biculturalism:
• Mateo is a journalist who has spent several years of his career researching the culture of a particular indigenous community in his country and over the years has managed to learn the culture of the community except for the language, which he finds difficult. But that did not stop him from learning their customs and cultures.
• Julia is a Mexican citizen who married a Colombian and had a son, this child was raised with typical dishes from both countries as well as with the customs and traditions of both countries.
• Maria is an indigenous woman who has been in a city with a different language for 10 years, but she managed to learn to live normally in the city. She learned all the rules and customs, as well as the language. But without forgetting her indigenous culture.
Images:
Here are some images related to the topic.
The bicultural comes from a parenting blog:
https://thenib.com/bicultural-parenting-in-america/
Bilingual image is from this link:
https://akorbi.com/5-jobs-you-can-get-by-being-bilingual/
The bilingual and bicultural image is from an interesting article:
https://alacarrera.home.blog/2019/03/05/bilingual-biliterate-bicultural-by-choice-part-1
Videos:
- Bilingualism and Biculturalism are important topics to be treated in the Colombian education within the framework of the respect and tolerance; identifying its components and implications help students and teachers to open minds to the vast horizon of languages and look at the different cultures like an enrichment that contributes to an integral education and effective for the world of today.
- In order to foster the inclusion and contribution of the different Colombian cultures to the development of the country, it is important to treat the concept of “Bilingualism” in general, taking into account that many communities have their own culture and language, representing this a form of bilingualism that in the National Bilingual Program are not included as such.
- This topic has been too an opportunity to reflect in the education system the importance of value our culture and its contribution to the country as such. Also, looking at the other cultures with an opened mind and respect contributes to the fostering of a tolerant society, even more when the differences offer the chance to promote the learning of other things; for it, topics like those must to be implemented in the education curriculums of all the schools.
Bibliographic references:
Akorbi (January 29th 2019) [Image] 5 Jobs You Can Get by Being Bilingual. Retrieved from: https://akorbi.com/5-jobs-you-can-get-by-being-bilingual/
Baker, C. (2001). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: Vol. 3rd ed. Multilingual Matters. pp. 2-16. https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=90953&lang=es&site=eds-live&scope=site
Bunny Studio, (April 10th, 2020). Types pf bilingualism and the benefits of knowing them. https://youtu.be/uvFH8KAfGb4
Carrera, L. (March 5th 2019) [Image] Bilingual, Biliterate, Bicultural BY Choice-Part 1. A la Carrera. Retrieved from: https://alacarrera.home.blog/2019/03/05/bilingual-biliterate-bicultural-by-choice-part-1
Chanani, N. (August 24th 2018) [Image] Bicultural parenting. The Nib. Retrieved from: https://thenib.com/bicultural-parenting-in-america/
Grosjean, F. (2013). Bilingualism: A short introduction. In Grosjean, F. & Li, P. (2013), pp. 5-25. https://www.francoisgrosjean.ch/bilin_bicult/25%20Grosjean.pdf
Guerrero, H. (2008). Bilingual Colombia: What does It Mean to Be Bilingual within the Framework of the National Plan of Bilingualism? Profile: Issues in Teachers´ Professional Development, 10(1), 27-45. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/10563
Mejía, A. (2006). Bilingual Education in Colombia: Towards a Recognition of Languages, Cultures and Identities. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, (8), 152-168. https://revistas.udistrital.edu.co/index.php/calj/article/view/176
Mincultura.gov.co. (s.f). mincultura.gov.co. Obtenido de https://mincultura.gov.co/areas/poblaciones/APP-de-lenguas-nativas/Paginas/default.aspx
