Fellows' project: Bilingualism Matters

Bilingualism is becoming more common in our society. According to a recent survey, Scotland is a multilingual country where at least 106 different languages are spoken. In a population of over 5 million, this wide range of languages holds significant potential for cultural diversity, economic opportunity, and enriched education. While in many parts of the world it is quite normal for children to be exposed to two or even more languages right from birth, bilingualism is a relatively new phenomenon in Europe. As a consequence, children who know more than one language are often regarded as 'special', and bilingualism is still surrounded by false beliefs, misconceptions, or simply lack of information.

Antonella Sorace FRSA FRSE, who is Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh, has set up Bilingualism Matters, a new initiative that aims to raise awareness among families, educators, and policy makers about the advantages of bilingualism. Recent research on bilingual language and cognition has shown that bilingualism is beneficial for children’s development and their future in many different respects. Children exposed to different languages not only become more aware of different cultures and other people, they also tend to be better at ‘multitasking’ and focusing attention, they are more precocious readers, and find it easier to learn other languages.

Bilingualism Matters provides free information sessions to schools, nurseries, community centres, and cultural institutes, as well as seminars for businesses and international organizations. It also offers a website full of downloadable resources and an email advice service. In the first six months since its launch, Bilingualism Matters delivered 20 community talks and 5 seminars for international organizations, including the European Central Bank and the Council of Europe.

Fellows are encouraged to provide ideas and suggestions on how to make Bilingualism Matters develop further and especially how to increase its visibility in the UK and in Europe.

More information about Bilingualism Matters can be found on the website or by writing to Antonella Sorace.