Bilingualism & Multilingualism
BILIGUALISM & MULTILINGUALISM
What they really mean and how to achieve them
Real Bilingualism refers to the cognitive ability to use two languages entirely without relying on translation from one language to another. This process involves understanding, speaking, and writing. According to the world-renowned Professor of Psychology Barry McLaughlin (Second-language Acquisition in Childhood), real bilingualism is granted provided constant and intensive exposure to a second language.
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When children initially approach a new language in school, they will experience a few communication difficulties (silent phase). The daily exposure to new sounds will lead them to deduce their meaning and decode the keywords used by the teachers (receptive phase). Only once the basic vocabulary has been assimilated, and when the children find themselves in need to express themselves, they will eventually start to interact with peers and teachers (early production phase) orally. Several other words will be learned with time and ongoing stimulus, allowing the young learners to produce short sentences (speech emergence). When the oral and written communication becomes more complex and grammatically correct, the learners may continue to develop their language skills towards fluency and achieve real bilingualism.
WINS English full-immersion environment is the perfect setting to become real bilingual firstly. English is, in fact, the primary language of instruction for all subjects; pairing it to the child’s native language leads to real bilingualism.
WINS is not a language school or a bilingual one; it is, instead, an international school whose curriculum is delivered in English. Yet, more language-learning opportunities are provided through the extensive educational offer (German or Spanish), allowing students to hold fluent multilingualism over time.