It has to be a article on english language learners - Essay Example

The first article is d “Bilingualism Affects Picture Naming but Not Picture i-fication” by Tamar Gollan, Rosa Montoya, Christine stineand Shauna Morris. The article was published in the Memory and Cognition Journal last 2005. The main point of the authors is that bilingualism can be acquired by most English speaking people but to the expense of losing proficiency in the dominant language. The author’s perspective towards language acquisition is that people who are monolinguals are more proficient than individuals who are bilinguals.

The article pointed to some literature about semantic processing between monolinguals and bilinguals and the assumption that bilinguals are as adept as monolinguals when it comes to conceptual processing of tasks such as picture naming.The study conducted an experiment by recruiting 31 English-speaking monolinguals and 31 Spanish English bilinguals from the University of San Diego. One hundred eighty pictures were shown to the participants to determine which group performed better at naming pictures.

The method for interpreting the data used ANOVA analysis. The authors proposed that bilinguals primarily differ from monolinguals when they name pictures in their dominant language due to the “degree of experience that they have had with picture names particular to that language” ( p.8). Nevertheless, the study is not that conclusive since repetition and attenuation must be thoroughly considered in further experiments.In conclusion, the author’s ideas may be considered by early education teachers of the English language to bilingual students .

This study can be helpful in understanding the learning needs of bilingual students specially those who belong to marginalized groups. There is no need for a change in policy but a better orientation for English teachers. I highly suggest that this study be a required reading for English teachers so that curriculum would be attuned to the needs of the learners.The second article is titled Assessing the Advantages of Bilingualism for the Children of Immigrants1 by Tanya Golash-Bolza. The article was published in the journal Internal Migration Review in 2005.

The purpose of the study is to :“ examine whether or not children of immigrants in the United States benefit from being bilingual. These analyses reveal whether there are costs to resisting linguistic assimilation or if it makes no difference at all so long as students attain English proficiency. More specifically, this study addresses whether or not bilingual ability translates into academic advantages for the children of Latino, Vietnamese and Filipino immigrants in Miami and San Diego”( Bolza, 2005,p.1). Even at the very beginning of the article, the author is criticizing bilingualism although her article tried to present objectively the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism.

The study derived data from interviewing 42 children of immigrants from different schools in South Florida and Southern California with the exception of Fort Lauderdale since the author does not consider it an immigrant city. The research was carried out well since the author was very specific with her variables and meticulous in carrying out the interpretation using regression analysis. In the end, the author concluded that ethnic communities like Latinos, Vietnamese and Filipinos try to acquire proficiency in a second language ( English) in order to assimilate culturally and reap benefits from networking.

However, the author also pointed out that bilingualism is only advantageous from a socio-economic viewpoint if the dominant culture can give opportunities. In conclusion, I find the article provoking yet give language learners a good insight about the political purposes of bilingualism. Language is not just about semantics but an important part of culture as well that exhibits the social class of the speaker. As for educational implications, there is no need to change educational policy but there is a need to understand the motives of the ethnic communities in why they want to acquire English proficiency.

ReferencesGolash-Boza, T. (2005). Assessing the Advantages of Bilingualism for the Children of Immigrants1. The International Migration Review, 39(3), 721+. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5037583671Gollan, T. H., Montoya, R. I., Fennema-Notestine, C., & Morris, S. K. (2005). Bilingualism Affects Picture Naming but Not Picture Classification. Memory & Cognition, 33(7), 1220+. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?

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