The Case for Bilingualism

Many of us have heard reports of a recent occurrence in New York City, which took place in a fast-food facility. A professional white man went into a rage because the employees had been talking in Spanish. Not to him, mind you, but to Spanish-speaking customers and among themselves. He shouted, as one might suspect, statements such as, "This is America, and we speak English here.” He informed them that he was paying for their welfare, and that they had no business in this country if they continued speaking Spanish. He assumed that they were all illegal immigrants, and he threatened to call ICE agents. Ridiculous, sad, outrageous, stupid.

I had previously watched a YouTube video which portrayed a working-class woman who passed the time waiting in line at a store by screaming at two women speaking in Spanish among themselves, after making purchases. The screaming woman said similar things as the man did in the first incident.

You might think that this is going to be an article about the intolerable amount of racism and xenophobia in this country, abetted, no doubt, by a president who shares and foments incivility. Although I certainly vigorously oppose the demonization of any group as evinced by the two egregious examples quoted above, there has been a widespread outcry—at least in liberal circles—against the rant of the professional, as there would have been against the working-call woman, if the incident on YouTube had gone viral as well. Suffice it to say here that as a non-Hispanic Spanish speaker, I find incidents such as these to be, well, nauseating.

The subject here, however, is the brains of the two racists quoted above; more broadly, I am writing this article to advance the case of bilingualism, which confers remarkable health and cultural benefits.

The Perils of Monolingualism

Well, that might be an exaggeration, but only a slight one.

Now that Americans are living longer, there is a lot of interest in how to live a healthy, longer life. Many pundits and researchers have provided lists of ways to preserve and even enhance brain function. Most people are well aware of some of the items on the list: eating well, exercising regularly, etc. I’m not sure that people are as aware of one factor that is on every list: the benefits of bilingualism. A recent study concluded that bilingualism delays the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease by an average of four and a half years. At any age, functional MRIs of the brain, (fMRIs), indicate that bilinguals develop better cognitive skills and are better at multitasking as well. They also tend to earn about $7,500 more per year than monolinguals do.

There is no doubt about it: foreign language proficiency benefits the brain, just as there is no doubt that exercise benefits the body. You want stronger muscles? Exercise. You want to make new neurons and improve brain function? Learn another language.

Americans have a distinct advantage from speaking English as a first language. English might not have more native speakers than a few other languages, such as Chinese, but English is undoubtedly the most important language in the world. Studying English as a second language is the first choice of the majority of those who speak other languages. To have at least a working knowledge of English is increasing considered to be of the utmost importance.

There is also a disadvantage for the majority of Americans whose mother tongue is English: there is little incentive to learn another language. There are millions of Hispanics in this country, many of whom are fluent in Spanish, yet when they interact with non-Hispanics, it is almost always in English. Why bother to learn another language when in the United States, and increasingly around the world, you can get by with English?

We have already listed one reason: it is one of the healthiest things one can do to preserve and improve brain health. Here is another, saliently expressed by the great German writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiss nichts von seiner eigenen. Translation: "Those who don’’t know foreign languages don’t know anything about their own." (Notice that Goethe uses the word ‘language’ in the plural—for him bilingualism wasn’t enough! I agree).

Speaking a foreign language forces the brain to “switch gears,” as it were, since syntax and grammar vary widely among languages. Foreign-language learning may be considered to be a brainy type of aerobic exercise, equally beneficial to the body-mind complex which makes us human. Being bi- or multi-lingual also enhances  one's perspective, and enables one to be a better citizen of his own country as well as that of the world. As an example, my ability to speak German, French, Spanish and English has made me feel at home in those countries which speak these languages. I’ve become familiar with their histories and with their cultures, especially with their literature and music. This has enabled me to see my own country in a much broader context. I can say without a doubt that this knowledge has made me a better citizen—and it is also a lot of fun! In our book club, for instance, I read the book we’ve selected in the original, if it was first written in one of the languages I know. This provides heady brain exercise for sure, but it also enriches our discussion, since the feel of the book in its original is often different from its translation. Knowing the historical and cultural context of the book in question increases one’s understanding of the book as well.

Monolingual Americans often think that theirs is the culture of the world. Speaking other languages destroys that myth, thereby reducing cultural arrogance, to everyone’s advantage.

22% of American are said to be bilingual, bilingualism being defined as being able to hold a conversation in the language in question. I do not really believe it. Why? When I was practicing medicine, I would on occasion see a Hispanic patient who spoke little English. I had a nursing assistant who worked with me, who studied Spanish all through high school. One day, I told her to inform a Spanish-speaking family of patients waiting in a room that I would be in to see them soon. “I can’t do that,” she told me, “they speak too fast.” It turned out that she could say little else beside ¡Hola!, even though she had studied Spanish for four years!

There is a melting-pot tradition in the United States; speaking a foreign language in public, as we have seen, is sometimes viewed as being unpatriotic. Trickle-down racial animus, originating from the venomous xenophobia of the current American administration, is also a factor, since most non-English speaking immigrants today are also non-white.

Not only for the sake of our brains, but for the sake of comity both here and abroad, this hostility needs to be vigorously challenged.

57% of bilinguals in the United States speak Spanish and English. It is our second language; this current status needs to be strengthened. Many second generation Hispanics are fluent in Spanish; this ability dips significantly however, in the third generation. Spanish may well go the same route as German in the United States, that is, suffer the same precipitous decline. We should not allow this to happen.

We already have a precedent for considering Spanish as a second language: Puerto Rico is part of the United States. I doubt that at any time soon Congress will pass laws for the preservation of Spanish; I would, however, welcome them. Bilingual schools starting in the early grades, for instance, would benefit us all.

I have suggestions for those who want to learn more Spanish. If you are a beginner, contact duolingo.com for free quality lessons; if you are more proficient, contact slownewsinspanish.com. Attend a Spanish-speaking meetup, which are located in many areas. Whenever you see something written in Spanish, read it. Google the words you don't know. For those more proficient in the language, listen to Spanish news on Univision TV every day This is a great way to learn Spanish and to gain a new perspective on the news. Other suggestions: choose Spanish subtitles on DVD movies. If you get the New York Times electronically, there is a link to obtain many of the article in Spanish. There are so many opportunities to learn Spanish! And, no matter your proficiency, speak to Spanish speakers in their language; you will be surprised at the pleasant responses.

I had a pleasant language-related encounter recently. I was at the self-checkout counter at a large grocery store. I had the option to follow instruction in Spanish, which I selected. A clerk came over to me and said, "Sir, I think you made a mistake. I can change it back to English for you." I told her that the choice was deliberate. I commented, "I guess I don't look Hispanic, but remember the pope is an old white man too!" We both laughed. I couldn't help feeling a little sad, however, that my appearance alone made my bilingualism stand out.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on one side, Stephen Miller on the other; Justin Trudeau on one side, Donald Trump on the other; brain health on one side, dementia on the other—la elección depende de ti.