Here's an excerpt of the article with some of the key points presented.
...I personally found the stats about school-aged kids in the US surprising, but I suppose I shouldn't. I have been living abroad since 2007, and every time I visit home I am amazed by how much more diverse it it. I'm originally from the DFW area in North Texas.
Our world is becoming increasingly multilingual. Consider some of the following statistics:
In Canada....In the United States....
- 11.9 % of the population speaks a language other than English or French at home. In Toronto, 31% of the population speaks a language other than English or French at home.
Worldwide, it is estimated that....
- 21% of school-age children (between ages 5-17) speak a language other than English at home. This number is projected to increase in the coming years.
- there are more second language speakers of English than native speakers.
...
- there are as many bilingual children as there are monolingual children.
They go on to present some benefits derived from being bilingual.
...Still need more reasons why you should teach your kids that second language?
- Bilingual children are better able to focus their attention on relevant information and ignore distractions. For more information, click here for our article “Are Two Languages Better Than One?”.
- Bilingual individuals have been shown to be more creative and better at planning and solving complex problems than monolinguals.
- The effects of aging on the brain are diminished among bilingual adults.
- In one study, the onset of dementia was delayed by 4 years in bilinguals compared to monolinguals with dementia.
- Bilingual individuals have greater access to people and resources.
- In Canada, employment rates are higher for French/English bilinguals than monolinguals.
...
- Canadians who speak both official languages have a median income nearly 10% higher than that of those who speak English only, and 40% higher than that of those who speak French only.
Read the original article here.
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