By: Victor Siyanbola.

Language is a wide concept with numerous definitions ascribed to it by different scholars. According to Britannica, Language is a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols using which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression, and emotional release. Hence, it is regarded as a veritable tool used to exchange information and express one’s thoughts, views, and ideas.

Several months into the birth of a child, it is expected of that child to start making blabbing sounds or even muttering some words that he/she often hears. This is a grim indication that language is an inherent and unconscious feature that every mentally and psychologically balanced person possesses. It is a system of sending and receiving information using a set of symbols. It could be through the words of the mouth (oral); reduced to writing on a surface (written); body language and many more which are sub-categories. Each is characterised by its mode of transmission. Ultimately, this leads us to the subject of discourse: bilingualism.

Bloomfield (1933:56) defines bilingualism as “native–like control of two languages” – a very high goal indeed. A person can speak two languages effectively. Such a person has acquired the knowledge of two languages and can conveniently communicate expressions with them. In line with this, a speaker places a balance between languages, falling into these categories. Compound Bilingual refers to people who develop two languages within a single context. Coordinate Bilingual refers to people who learn two languages in different contexts. Sub-coordinate Bilingual refers to people who learn a second language using their native tongue. However, can there be benefits and challenges attached to this?

Bilingual persons have an economic edge over others. The world keeps evolving and those with values are the ones with an upper hand in the scheme of things. The ability to speak two languages fluently will enable an individual to have access to a wide range of job opportunities. Employers opt for bilingual employees who can help with international trade. Likewise, it helps to fight off dementia. This is a condition in which the brain does not store information for a long period. It is proven that bilingual brains are more active and alert, leading to enhanced cognitive abilities. Learning two languages exercises the brain and consequently keeps it sharp.

No doubt, there is no truism in the fact that speaking two languages can cause language delay. Rather, it ameliorates a listener’s auditory attention. In this regard, an individual with this language proficiency will be able to pay rapt attention to speech sounds and decipher the intended message. This can also be linked to conflict management. Say a Yoruba person travels to the North and hears that a conflict ensued between some persons, he can devise means to help settle the dispute amicably.

It also helps to open one’s mind to new cultural and social experiences. A bilingual speaks a language that differs from his/her mother tongue. This opens doors of exploration into a different culture and society. An individual is afforded acquaintance with how things are done beyond the borders of his/her own culture. Access is also paved into the peculiarities of a people united by common descents and ties.

Like the two sides of a coin, bilingualism has both pros and cons attached to it. There exists a tendency of a bilingual brain not to master either language efficiently. A speaker has the flaw of vocabulary deficiency by speaking one language better and more fluently than the other. If this happens, there is yet to be a balance in language acquisition and there may be incidents of code-switching. One tends to use words or expressions from the language that is well learned, in the course of expressing oneself with a language that has been duly learned.

In the same vein, bilingualism poses a threat of losing one’s cultural identity. This echoes the Yoruba proverb: “If a leaf is bonded with a soap for so long, it will become soap.” Culture and language are two tightly-knitted concepts and learning a language can be so tricky. As humans, we are vulnerable to getting allured by discoveries and inventions. If a native speaker develops an interest in another language, it is a seemingly stepping stone to losing his/her conventional cultural beliefs, social forms, customers, and even attitude. This adversely leads to cultural and religious biases.

In conclusion, how excellent would it be for a person to speak more than their native tongue and be able to communicate with people at different facets of their life without inconveniences! Just like every other thing that so exists, the concept of bilingualism is also laced with both pros and cons. It is then not a gainsaying that every rose has its thorn.