Importance of Multilingualism in Education Studies

This article discusses the importance of multilingualism in education studies and how it helps in bringing people together. It highlights the advantages of being a multilingual speaker and how it helps in navigating around the world. The article also emphasizes the need for promoting multilingualism in schools and colleges and the importance of respecting the culture and faith of local communities.

Running head: EDUCATION STUDIES
Education Studies
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

2EDUCATION STUDIES
The concept of multilingualism mainly defines the practice of a person being able to
speak more than one language. A multilingual speaker is someone who has the ability to speak
more than one language. This is, however, an advantage as the world is expanding and people
have to keep pace with the expanding world. Often people have to move away too many
different places for the purpose of studying and also for the purpose of working. So, they need to
learn the language that is prevalent in the place they are shifting to. The major number of people
in the world is multilingual speakers and this is mainly because they have been brought up in
many diverse cultural surroundings. Multilingualism is of utmost importance as it helps in
bringing people together. It acts as a pivot that helps in bringing the people and the local
communities from the margins to the center. It is for this purpose that one of the non native
English speaking student has been interviewed based on his experiences in his locality and the
kind of experiences that he had after coming to the school in UK. There are people belonging to
many local communities are deprived of their schools and their workplaces. It is for this reason
that multilingualism must be brought into practice (Pysarenko and Striuk 2017).
Multilingualism helps in bringing diversity to the language that is being spoken by one
another and also it helps in bringing the culture of many places together. This unification works
for the overall uplifting of the local and the tribal people as well. If there are multilingual
speakers within any tribal communities then they will be able to speak in their native language
and in other forms of language as well. They will be able to develop the thoughts of those people
(Whiteley 2017). They will be able to bring those people in the centers than the margins and the
isolations to which they have been subjected to. As has been seen in the interview, often when
the non native speakers are sent to attend schools where they become the victims of insults and
bullies. They often feel that they are being neglected. However, this is really a very bad practice

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and needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. It is the duty of the teachers and the schools to
make sure that they are promoting the multilingualism. This will help in encouraging those
students to learn and develop their interest in the academic professions as well. The mother
language of those children is to be included in the curriculum. This is because the children will
learn best through the language that they know. It is for this reason that the schools must also
start for some training services that will help in arranging for the teachers training services as
well (Pascoe et al. 2015). This will help in training the teachers in the native language of the
students. Apart from this, the native English speakers must also be encouraged to attend those
classes where they will be able to learn the language of the non-native English speakers. Along
with the language, they will also be able to learn different aspects of the culture and the religion
as well. This practice will indeed be very helpful as it will help in bringing people closer to one
another. This will help in the process of social communication as well (Luke 2018).
Talking about the UK in general or Britain, it is a land of many different cultures and
languages. There are so many different languages that have descended down the years and have
accumulated in the English language. There are also many of the immigrant communities that
have come and settled in the UK. It is for this reason that the language is so very different. Here
comes the role of multilingualism. The schools and colleges must have teachers who will be
proficient enough in the language of the native or the local people. The first step is to teach the
children in the language that they are most familiar with and can comprehend easily. This has to
be kept in mind that the mother tongue or the MT is the language in which a child will be the
most acquainted with. The person who is in charge of teaching the children must keep in mind
the common traits of human psychology. It is a very common phenomenon of human psychology
that people are comfortable in learning something new within the surroundings that they are very

4EDUCATION STUDIES
familiar with. It will be very difficult for them if the students or the children are taken into some
new or unknown surroundings. So, the local surroundings or the local communities play a very
vital role here and have to keep in proper consideration. Children will be able to learn and also
understand in that particular language in which they think. In the initial stages, the children need
to learn in a language that they have been accustomed to (Kalra 2017).
Apart from this, the students are to e taught in their very immediate environment and
environment. For an instance, if the student in question is of African origin and the teacher who
is in charge of teaching him is a multilingual speaker then he must at first teach the student in the
native African language itself. It is best if the children are asked to attend their first and initial
classroom sessions in their villages or in their very well known surroundings. The culture that is
already imbibed in those students is reflected through their language. So, they will be at ease if
the teacher is making them gain some indigenous language or indigenous knowledge within their
known surroundings. It is with this slow and gradual process that these children will be able to
step into the centers from the margins and will be able to learn the non native language.
A multilingual speaker must also be well versed in the form of sign languages as well.
This is because in the initial stages; he will have to teach his local people. The multilingual
speaker is very well versed in many different languages and knows the uses as well. However,
this whole thing is really very unknown to the rest of the speakers. It is for this reason that he
will have to explain the same to his local people. The best practice that he can do is arrange for
an initial village or classroom session where he will be accumulating all the people and starting
off with the initial classes. He has to keep in mind that in this context, he cannot really impose
any force or pressure. He had to give ample time to all the people and has to stay very close to
the natural surroundings of those people. Local people are very close to their environment. It is

5EDUCATION STUDIES
for this reason that the teacher must make the people accumulate in some place that is very close
to the environment like that of a tree shed or garden and then start with the initial teaching. The
initial lessons of the teaching are to be done through local stories that are known to these local
people. As the teacher himself is associated with the many different languages, he will be using
some of the other words from the English. Sign language is very useful in this aspect as it will
help in understanding the tough and the complicated words of the English language. Ample time
has to be given so that the verbal skill is developed in a sound manner. According to the
interview, Verbal skill is something that is developed much earlier in comparison to the
nonverbal or the writing skills. The teacher must start speaking with the people of the local
communities in the English language. To begin with, verbal skills must be developed properly so
that the people are comfortable enough to shift onto the nonverbal or the written skills. People by
birth have a tendency to learn the verbal or the speaking skills before learning the nonverbal or
the written skills.
While teaching the local people within the local environment it must be the duty of the
multilingual teacher to maintain proper respect for the culture and the faith f the local people.
This has to be kept in mind that the intention must be not to hurt the emotions or the sentiments
of the people living in the local community but to show proper respect to them. So, while
teaching the local people, the teacher has to keep this in mind that none of his actions or his
language must hurt the cultural or the historical beliefs of those people. As the person is well
versed in many different forms of language, he has to be clear about the social connotations that
each and every term bear. For an instance, the term child labor may be a concept of something
illegal or hateful in the UK but this same term may not be considered as something bad or illegal
in any African or any Nigerian community. This is because the life and the socio-economic set

6EDUCATION STUDIES
up in these communities are very different than that of UK. So, the teacher has to keep in mind
that while he is teaching about the English language to the non-native English speakers who are
the residents of the local African and the Nigerian community (Androutsopoulos 2015).
Apart from this, even in the schools and colleges of UK, there must be this curriculum that the
students have to speak at least two or more languages. These multiple language learning must be
a part of the regular syllabus or the curriculum of the schools. This can be a major step in binding
the communities to close together. There are schools that also offer for so may out of school
learning sessions that are mainly engaged in teaching different languages to the students from the
minority groups. The children coming from the ethnic and the minor communities are mainly
exposed to their native language in their homes, so they must be encouraged and brought into
these classes so that they can be exposed to the society and the community as well. A
multilingual speaker can be appointed as a multilingual teacher for conducting these classes.
However being proficient in the different languages is not sufficient to teach the students in or
outside their local environments (Tran and Nguyen 2018). They have to be very well versed in
the language and the culture of the entire minority and the ethnic groups as well. The main aim
of these classes is to encourage the students to learn the multilingual tongue and the multilingual
cultures as well. The complementary schools promote this educational practice to a great deal
because there are really very limited areas or scopes where the children from so many different
minor and ethnic backgrounds are able to come and mingle with the kids of other cultural
backgrounds. Often there is a hesitation among the people of the ethnic and the minority groups.
They feel that they are inferior to the native English speakers and are inferior to them in every
aspect. So, they might often restrain themselves from coming into these classes (Vidgren 2016).
However, the multilingual speakers must encourage the ethnic and the minority people to come

7EDUCATION STUDIES
and attend these classes. The bilingual classes must not take place in any isolation. There can be
private tutors appointed for this purpose as well. As per the opinion of the interviewee, many
families might be of the opinion that sending their kids to these complementary schools will not
be a very good idea as they might be the victims of bullying in such circumstances. However,
this does not give them the chance to be exposed to the other kids under the same roof. This
limits their experiences and consequently their learning as well. Learning with so many different
kids under the same roof is very important as this helps each and every kid to get exposed to the
varied kinds of culture, social and political beliefs and also different attitudes as well. This will
enable them to understand and analyze and choose the best attitude for themselves and also
decide the fact that what kinds of person they want to be when they grow up in future.
Multilingualism helps in gaining the knowledge about the culture and the language of so
many different language and cultures. This helps in gaining a multilingual identity as well. This,
in turn, is favored by many families as well as it is increasing the chances of business. Learning
different languages makes children grow up into successful individuals and also helps them to
step out of their local contexts into the global worlds (ThoughtCo 2018). This helps them to go
and settle in any of the places outside and they can easily work at many different places as well.
There are many advantages that can be incorporated by a multilingual speaker within the context
of his local community
Understanding and appreciating the cultural references and the nuances
According to the interview, most of the architectural pieces of work and the traditional
culture are usually represented in the native language itself. This practice will develop best when
the children from the ethnic and the minority groups are made to learn in an environment filled

8EDUCATION STUDIES
with other students. This is a great opportunity through which the intercultural exchange can take
place
Helping in creating the job opportunities and also navigating around the world
As per the opinion of the interviewee, this is one the main reason that is responsible for
the growing importance of the bilingual or the multilingual learning. This helps people get used
to with the language and the culture of so many different regions. This is thus very helpful in
making the paths clear for traveling and also working in many of the different parts. This thus
helps in increasing the income opportunities as well. It is for this reason that many of h ethnic
and minor communities are trying to embrace multilingualism as they feel that the economic
burden can be shared (McKinney et al. 2015).
A greater sense of connection with the heritage, the history, and family
Being able to learn much new language helps in staying connected with the family and
the cultural history. Often people migrate to many foreign countries and settle there. So, there is
a chance that they might lose the connection with their roots. However, having a thorough
knowledge of all the different languages will help in staying in a proper connection with the
places of origin.
Translating
Multilingualism also helps in working as a good translator. This is because they can
easily switch over from one language to the other easily and can act as very good translators.
This can also open many new employment opportunities in many of the chosen fields. Some of

9EDUCATION STUDIES
them is acting as a tour guide or working in some fields related to history and religious studies
(Pysarenko and Striuk 2017).
Ability to talk to many people
Multilingualism helps in removing the language barriers and being able to speak with
many different people. This helps in communication and socializing. It is in this way that there
are a proper knowledge sharing and exchange of cultural values as well. His not only helps in the
trade and commerce activities but also helps in making people become more respectful towards
one another (the Guardian 2018).
Increased career opportunities
Multilingualism helps in increasing the career opportunities a well. A multilingual
speaker surely has some more advantages over a bilingual speaker in any job interviews. This
helps in opening more career opportunities in front of the people (Duff 2015).
However, there will surely be some of the other disadvantages as well. The greatest disadvantage
is time. One needs to get a huge amount of time for learning so many different languages and
also training others in the same. Apart from this, there is the problem of lack of proper
proficiency as well. This is because having an equal level of competence is each and every
language is really a tough job. So, it is for this reason that one may face many problems
(Ghimenton 2015). However, they have to practice more and make sure that they are able to
overcome their problems. There can also be confusion in carrying on this practice of
multilingualism and also in keeping in mind all the different rules of so many varied kinds of
languages and cultures. However, there are many advantages over the disadvantages and it is for

10EDUCATION STUDIES
this reason that one must try to overcome the disadvantages and work for gaining a proper
proficiency in speaking all the different languages (Cenoz and Gorte 2015).
Efforts are to be made to preserve the languages. There are many languages are actually
dying and efforts are to be made so that the languages can be somehow kept alive. It has been
seen by experts that learning many varied kinds of languages helps in keeping the mind active.
This is because the mind has to exercise a lot while learning so many different languages. This
helps in increasing the immunity of the brain. It helps in increasing the thinking capacity as well.
However, not many people are interested in learning the languages as they feel that these are
useless. So, there are chances that ultimately many languages will die. In order to prevent this,
efforts are to be made for generating some benefits out of them. This can be done by teaching the
children many different languages. As a result of this, children will be able to develop a keen
interest towards the language and the culture of many different languages. They will be able to
give the improved amount of attention towards their work and will not be distracted very easily.
This will help in keeping the language alive for at least some more time (Comanaru and Dewaele
2015).
Thus, multilingualism has its own benefits. This helps in making people accustomed to
many different languages. As per the opinion of the interview, this will help in opening many
new employment opportunities for the individuals. It must be incorporated in a larger amount in
the minor and the ethnic groups so that they can come be educated and can work towards getting
a better future. However, it is the responsibility of the bilingual expert to keep in mind that none
of his words or his actions must go against the cultural and the social beliefs of the people of the
minor and the ethnic groups.

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Appendix
1. What is your mother tongue?
2. Did you know any other language before coming to your school?
3. What have been your experiences in your locality since your childhood?
4. How much important is your culture and heritage for you?
5. Did you find your teachers treating you well?
6. Were you able to cope up with the language that was spoken in your school?
7. What other language did you learn after coming to school?
8. What as the medium of language in which you were taught in class?
9. Did you ever become the victim of bullying?
10. Do you find any changes in your life in the pre and post schooling period?
11. How important do you think multilingualism is?