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Forty-three percent of the world's population can speak two languages fluently. Bilingualism presents
obvious benefits, such as being able to communicate with many more people. However, does being
bilingual make one smarter? Bilingual people have a stronger executive function which results
in a heightened ability to switch between tasks, a more efficient monitoring system, and a heightened
cognitive ability. Adults aren't the only ones who experience these benefits; infants, children, and the
elderly can benefit as well.
Bilingual people have a heightened ability to monitor their environment, which results in more efficient
monitoring systems. People that speak more than one language often have to switch between languages.
This means that they often have to suppress one language when talking in another language. This helps
bilingual and polylingual people suppress irrelevant information.
Many people think that when children learn to speak two languages it damages their cognitive growth;
this is simply not true. Although there is evidence that shows that sometimes one language can obstruct
another language when a child is talking, there are benefits for bilingual children. This shows that
although bilingual children might have trouble in their first years of speaking, the long-term benefits of
bilingualism outweigh those troubles. A 2004 study showed that bilingual preschoolers were better able
to solve mental puzzles and switch between tasks than their monolingual classmates. Infants and the
elderly can also benefit from bilingualism. A recent study revealed that the seven-month-old infants that
had been exposed to more than one language were better able to switch between tasks. Bilingualism can
also benefit the elderly. A study taken at the University of California in San Diego showed that the more
fluent someone was in a second language, the more resistant they were to onset dementia and
Alzheimer's. This is likely because they have a stronger executive function, therefore they are better able
to remember things.
Bilingual people have a unique way of viewing the world and their surroundings. Some languages can
give insight into a specific culture. Also, bilingualism can give someone more creativity, which can result
in someone “viewing" the world in a different way. A person that can speak more than one language is
also better able to communicate with people that speak said language, so they are better able to
understand that culture. This can make bilinguals and people who are polylingual more empathetic and
better able to understand other people.
31. What might NOT be the result of having a strong executive function?
A. a more efficient monitoring system
B. a heightened ability to switch between tasks
C. a better hand-eye coordination
D. a heightened cognitive ability