Bilingualism is the ability of a person to speak in two languages. A person becomes bilingual either by learning two languages or learning a second language some time after learning the first language. The first language many be the person’s mother tongue and the second language maybe any language that the person learns later on in life There are many advantages and disadvantages of being bilingual. Firstly being bilingual enables a person to speak in two different languages-this means that if parents belong to different cultural backgrounds then it becomes easier to communicate with each parent and it becomes easier for the parent to pass on their heritage to their child. They also have the knowledge to experience two cultures and they would be more tolerant to diversity which would reduce the chances of racism. These people can also think in two different languages and can progress socially and economically. The confidence of the person increases and it then becomes easier for that person to become multilingual (learn a third language).  Reading and writing in two languages means a bilingual person can enjoy literature in both original languages. This can create a deeper understanding of different traditions and ways of thinking and behaving. The pleasures of reading novels, poetry and magazines and the enjoyment of writing to friends and family are all doubled for bilingual people

Economically also, job opportunities increase for these people as the jobs of sales, media and marketing require people who are bilingual. In the short term people maybe hesitant to learn two languages but in the long term it becomes useful, in the fast growing era of globalization. It would also help in raising the self esteem of a person as the ability two speak in two languages may be praised. Globalization is giving rise to higher levels of communication between people and bringing them more closer. The dependency ratio is increasing, where countries are engaging in trade and are dependent on each other. This means that it is essential to learn two languages.

Apart from this, there are some drawbacks of bilingualism too. A persons thinking process will be disturbed because he/she usually thinks in one language (usually he mother tongue). This means that then it becomes difficult for a person to relate to the problem that he/she is thinking of, in the other language. Also if both the languages that a person is speaking are poorly developed then it would be difficult for that person, especially a child to cope up with the school curriculum. In case of a child knowing two languages the parents will have to be extremely careful in engineering a child’s bilingual development, especially if the parent only knows one language. Lastly, bilingualism makes a person confused about who he/she is. They may speak two languages but there are distinctly indentified as belonging to a single culture alone. Therefore, they many be uncomfortable in moving between two identites.

                                                MONOLINGUALISM

Monolingualism is the ability of a person to speak or write in a single language, which is usually the person’s mother tongue. In many countries like France and Turkey people are monolingual that is they only speak French and Turkish, and are unaware of other languages. In Pakistan also people usually speak Urdu, but there exists different dialects of this language also. Pakistan is a country which is divided into four provinces, each having its own identity, culture and language. This is why some people only speak in Urdu, whilst others only speak the language of the province to where they belong, for example Sindhi. Punjabi etc. A person usually masters one language in which he/she speaks. At times the people have to get accustomed to learning a different language, usually a second language in order to meet the needs of globalization.

Monolingualism also has certain advantages. When a person knows one language alone then a sense of pride, unity and patriotism develops. Many people speak the same language so there is improved communication and a sense of equality is promoted.  A clear sense of thinking is also developed as the person thinks in one language alone giving rise to a clarity in the thought process. This in turn, also enables a person to implement his thought and idea clearly. This takes an edge over bilingualism which means that the know how of two languages disturbs the persons thinking process and acts as a barrier in thinking creatively and clearly. If a person speaks in one language alone then his level of confidence also increases. He/ she speaks in one language alone and so is confident in talking to other people who know the language that they are speaking. This eliminates communication barriers and communication increases among people living in the same country. In France all the people only speak  French and so nationality is promoted.

Apart from the advantages there are certain disadvantages of being monolingual too. Being monolingual, hinders a person, particularly a child’s mental growth as he/ she is only taught one language. This restricts his/ her ability to learn other languages. Also, an interaction with others is hindered if that person does not know the language that the monolingual person is speaking. This is a negative aspect because the needs of the economic world today require a person to know other languages as well. It also means that employment prospects for that person are lower as that person cannot expect to apply for jobs that require people who are bilingual or multilingual. Being monolingual also means that a person does not have knowledge about other cultures apart from his/her culture. This is because the more languages that a person knows the more knowledge he/she has about other cultures. Keeping in mind our country, Pakistan consists of a variety of different cultures but a majority of people speak in Urdu. This refers specifically to many people living in Karachi where these people speak Urdu with clarity. Though this may be an advantage, but it is a disadvantage as well because then these people are unable to communicate with other people in other provinces who speak different cultural language and they lack the cultural identity that those people are a part of

MULTILINGUALISM

Multilingualism is the ability of a person to communicate in more than two languages. Multilingual people usually speak three languages this is the mother tongue, their own local and community language and other languages such as French. English  or Spanish. If a person is multilingual then he/she can clearly and easily communicate with other people belonging to different cultures and communities. A multilingual person then understands the ideas, beliefs and emotions of the people with whom they are communicating. They also have the knowledge about different cultural norms, values customs and beliefs. This increases the level of understanding between the people as they know exactly what the other person wants and what he/she  is talking about. In todays world the demand for people who are multilingual is increasing because the economic dependency between the countries have increases. Many jobs require people who are multilingual because increased dependency means the need to communicate with people belonging to different countries increases. Research also shows that people who are multilingual are highly paid and the employment prospects for them are very high. In the era of globalization the more languages a person knows, the more are the chances of progress for him.

Inspite of the benefits and advantages of multilingualism a majority of people are not multilingual. This is because it becomes difficult for people to learn different languages, whilst there are others who have the ability to learn these languages quickly and have a command and grasp over them. Such people can then progress economically and socially.  It also provides people with the ability to share in a wide range of intercultural experiences such as literature, entertainment, religion and other interests. Researchers, however point out that multilingualism means that the knowledge of more then two languages weakens the command of a person over the native language or the mother tongue. This is because a person constantly tries to learn and adopt other languages.

In Pakistan many people are trying to become multilingual because the country is going through a recessionary period. Many people believe that being multi lingual will increase their employment opportunities and will help them to progress. The local companies are facing a loss and the rise in the number of multinationals is giving a rise to the demand for people who are multilingual. This is because these people will then need to communicate with delegates belonging to different countries. Multilinguistic people are highly recognized in many different parts of the world. In Pakistan apart from English and Urdu people are learning other languages like Arabic. They become multilingual because of the religious significance attached to it. Many people learn Arabic to learn Islamic ideals and beliefs. Thus multilingualism plays a very important role in all spheres of life. Though many people are against multilingualism. These people believe that they should know one language alone in order to promote a sense of nationality, equality and solidarity. I believe that that being if a person is multilinguistic then there are little chances of any hindrances coming in their way of communication. Their knowledge base would increase as they would communicate in different languages.

Monolingual is the condition of being able to speak, write or more prudently communicate through just one single language which is your native language or your mother tongue. Monolinguals are more dominantly found in the United Kingdom and other English speaking countries. Research shows that the British dialect English speakers find it unnecessary and at times, difficult to learn any other language. People in Asian and African countries are more exposed to a variety of intermingling cultures which gives rise to not only different dialects within the same language but also provides people with the opportunity and convenience of learning multiple languages.                   

There are certain advantages of being a monolingual as well which have been proved by different researches. Usually bilinguals speak one language as their native language while they acquire the knowledge and learning of another language as per their social dynamics or when they get to migrate from their native society for work or education. Research shows that with the ability of speaking more than one language, one the two always remains dominant. This could lead to a lot of information clutter at times; this could create barriers to your thought processing and could limit your intellectual growth. The monolingual on the other hand, enjoys lucidity of thoughts, a much more transparent understanding of his surroundings and is able to interact in a much better way with the society. Having a disparity between the languages you speak can also lead to a subconscious superiority or inferiority complex regarding either your native language or your newly acquired language.

Pakistani culture has its roots in a number of historic cultures. This culture is itself a meld of different civilizations, many of whom have nurtured different religions, beliefs, languages, dialects, social norms and values. With this much of a rich yet conflicting, absorbing and ever changing culture, Pakistan is a society where monolinguals are a minority confined mainly to the port city of Karachi. These people are mostly immigrants from today’s Indian part of the subcontinent. In the late 40’s, as these people migrated to Pakistan, most of them opted to settle in Karachi to benefit from those thousands of jobs that the industrial sector of Karachi creates. These people laid their pride in their native language “Urdu”, and hence they never fully absorbed their inter cultural counterparts. Even though there is a huge Sindi population in the city as well, yet the once immigrant inhabitants of Karachi are still primarily monolingual, their whole domestic structure depicts a lot of preservation of  values and traditions that separate them from other regional language speaking masses of Pakistan. This practice has its own advantages and disadvantages. For starters, monolinguals in Pakistan are usually better spoken in the national and their native language Urdu; they speak with a pronounced clarity which is deficient in the regional bilinguals of Pakistan. But as a disadvantage, these people lack the cultural richness that people who speak provincial languages depict. Monolinguals in Pakistan face a lot of problems when they have to communicate with such people, especially in a situation where communication is acting as a key, such as marketing or advertising jobs.

Languages are a passion for me. But I sat down to wonder that in modern day Britain, I haven’t seen very many people who are multilingual. Is it because they just can’t be bothered to take up a language or is it because they don’t have the need to? I happened to read somewhere that English is the language spoken by the greatest number of non-native speakers and it shocked me to read that by 2025, every Chinese person, right from the rich to the poor will be able to speak English. Even in India, a large majority of the middle class speak English incredibly fluently. But I wondered, in a country like Britain, where people chose to go on holiday every year to various destinations in Europe and abroad, why is it that most people are monolingual? Is it a sign of weakness in intelligence? A sign of not needing to? Or is it just pure human nature?

Taking up a language is meant to be one of the most helpful things. Not only does it help jog up your memory and keep it fresh, but it could even beat diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Knowing a language is seen very greatly by universities and improving your chances of getting in. For jobs it is essential if you chose to live abroad and having a language in your CV means your chances of getting a job are multiplied. It eases the process of travel a lot more because for once, you can actually understand what other say. Languages broaden knowledge about cultures and keep those cultures alive. With all of these reasons present for every one to learn a language, I wondered – is it monolingualism that is increasingly popular or is multilingualism dying out? An increase in one would mean the decrease in another. Are we just ignorant to the fact that in this world, 6912 languages exist, waiting for us to learn just one more than we are born with?

What is really shocking is that the number of people now in Britain who do continue to be illiterate in their own language, English seems barely laudable. The number of people who struggle to pass GCSE English seems quite stunning. Many people struggle to get jobs because they can’t read or write and it seems bad that we can’t do anything to change that situation.

As I wonder about languages and why people don’t speak as many languages now, I feel that personally, now we aren’t bothered to learn languages. Holiday is just relaxation time rather than trying to understand different cultures. In a world filled with stress, learning a language is last in everyone’s agenda. The advantages of learning a language are copious and multilingualism, according to me, is the way forward. Still I hope that if we can’t keep the culture of multilingualism alive, other people from other countries will continue to. After all even though languages might be different, the people of the world are united.

I’d like to finish with two witty quotes, one by Geordie Howe, an ice hockey great from Canada who said, “All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.”

The other is by Mark Twain, the famous author, “In Paris, they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language.”

Many people come into a course thinking that the best way to consult a dictionary is to find the equivalent in French or else translate from the French into English. I used to tell people not to translate from one language to the next because that is what I was instructed to do but then after a while I realized that this is generally an impossible feat most people will naturally look for something in their own native language because they would like to retain the same mental image that they had. There is comfort knowing that the new word can generate the same sensation or frame of mind, as there is less fatigue in doing so. Here are ten points for the learner to be aware of when using a language dictionary.

1) Today I think it is less necessary to use negatives in my class and explain to the learner he is better off facing a monolingual dictionary, which will most likely give him a wider meaning of the English word.

2) Compact French-English dictionaries will lack certain forms of the English word or even lack the phonetics of the new word and its variations but the larger dictionary is much more efficient. This still does not address one main issue and that is if the person is a learner he will be better off in reading a definition that is at his comprehension level and that is usually where bilingual dictionaries are weak.

3) There are other means that the learner can take advantage off when looking up a word. He can look a word on an on-line source like dictionary.com, which will give ample definitions as well as the phonetics of the word. On-line dictionaries are especially useful if the learner has a limited budget or is nowhere near a library or language bookshop^.

4) There are dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms or words, which can be used as substitutes, and words that are the opposite of what wants to define. All this is especially useful for the new language writer who does not have an extensive lexicon and needs to be more descriptive in his narrative.

5) Dictionaries are quite useful in providing other pieces of information that the learner might take for granted and which are otherwise contained in atlases or encyclopaedias. A good language dictionary will have a list of measures and their conversions, a list of countries, their populations and capitals and a list of the monetary units of those countries and their equivalences to a standard unit like the American dollar. All this would of course entail information, which is current, an updated before the final publication date.

6) A dictionary should be chosen not only for the number of definitions that it gives but all the number of entries for a word and that would entail how many a word is used together with others to create an phrasal verb, idiomatic expression or general expression besides being listed alone in various grammatical forms. My rule of thumb is that a person should pick up a dictionary and look up some basic verbs like take to see how many entries there are for that. There should be at least several entries for take each with another preposition for the person to consider buying that dictionary.

7) Dictionaries with American and British entries are more valuable than those that do not make any distinctions.

A dictionary, which incorporates jargon, which would be the use of very informal words that one picks on the street or at a club, would be quite useful. One would look out for the mention of formal or informal in the dictionary besides the meaning of the word. It would be up to the teacher to mention what words are standard and which are less formal.

9) Slang words or words which do not follow any particular grammar are also useful especially if one wants to be uninhibited in his speech and not looking to impress his listener by being articulate.

10) It helps for the learner to have an illustrated and labelled dictionary especially when they are starting out as images can take the place of hundreds of words and are an efficient means of communicating a meaning by themselves. I found this particularly useful when teaching the beginning student words that dealt with means of transport, which were too complicated to be described with simple words.