Discussion Response: Physiological Aspects of Bilingualism Analysis

This assignment is a response to a discussion post concerning bilingualism, focusing on the physiological aspects, cognitive benefits, and criticisms associated with it. The student agrees with the classmate's assessment, acknowledging the advantages in cognitive lifespan, social skills, and academic performance. The response highlights the protective effects of bilingualism against memory-related diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia while noting the lack of scientific consensus on the underlying mechanisms. It emphasizes the increased use of the dorsolateral cortex in bilinguals, contributing to enhanced brain function. The response also critiques the discussion's omission of cultural and social aspects, particularly the challenges faced by bilinguals in adapting to new cultures and languages. The student underscores the impact of postcolonialism on language loss and the need to address the societal perceptions of different languages. The assignment refers to several academic sources to support the arguments.

Running Head: RESPONSE TO POST ON BILINGUALIASM
Response to post on Bilingualism
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1RESPONSE TO POST ON BILINGUALIASM
The stress of this post is on the physiological aspects in terms of strengths and weakness
of being bilingual. The various benefits have been discussed that range from better socializing
skills, and cognitive skills, as well as academic performance. However, the criticism of being
bilingual and the delay in lexical acquisition has also been highlighted in contrast to
monolinguals (Anderson et al., 2018).
The physiological aspects are extended to the complex function of brain. Bilingualism
forms a protective barrier that fights against the memory related issues such as Alzheimer’s and
dementia. However, the exact cause for this particular phenomenon is not scientifically proven.
The constant shift between the two languages improve better brain functioning as there is an
increase in the use of dorsolateral cortex (Bialystok, 2018). The effect of bilingualism is
extended to the utilization of various sections of the brain that tend to delay the cognitive ageing.
The negative aspects of bilingualism have also been highlighted, as they tend to have a
deficit in terms of lexical access that also is present as a setback for bilingual children. First
language attrition is also an aspect of bilingualism that has gathered several criticisms (Perani et
al., 2017).
I agree to the above opinion that my fellow classmate has come up with. It is true that
there are many benefits of bilingualism that are spread in various aspects of cognitive lifespan.
However, there are issues that can lead to initial delays in comparison to those who are single
language speakers are known to have been resolved. However, the extent of neurological
development or degradation needs to be further researched. The particular cause behind the
barrier of bilinguals against memory related diseases need to be addressed.

2RESPONSE TO POST ON BILINGUALIASM
The post is essentially focused on the physiological aspect of being bilingual and
monolingual. However, the social and cultural aspects that are directly involved with
bilingualism have not been addressed. The need to talk about this issue is genuine as the cultural
aspects form take up a lot of space in the life of bilinguals (Shin, 2017). Most of the cases where
people have migrated from their home country to another have been facing in adapting to the
society and language of the foreign nation is the aspect of language. Rather than a luxury, it has
become somewhat a necessity for them. Many bilinguals are forced to adapt to the language of
the la d they have migrated to and in the process they lose the essence of their own language and
mother tongue. The postcolonial era is even more significantly responsible for the change or shift
in the factor of monolinguals and bilinguals. Many native languages have been removed from the
memory of the people due to the domination of the language of the colonial masters (Shin,
2017). The superior races always look down upon the language of the ‘other’. This crucial aspect
of bilingualism needs to be addressed while discussing about the nature of bilingualism and the
criticism of it.

3RESPONSE TO POST ON BILINGUALIASM
References
Altarriba, J., & Heredia, R. R. (Eds.). (2018). An introduction to bilingualism: Principles and
processes. Routledge.
Anderson, J. A., Grundy, J. G., De Frutos, J., Barker, R. M., Grady, C., & Bialystok, E. (2018).
Effects of bilingualism on white matter integrity in older adults. Neuroimage, 167, 143-
150.
Bialystok, E. (2018). Bilingualism and executive function. Bilingual cognition and language:
The state of the science across its subfields, 54, 283.
Perani, D., Farsad, M., Ballarini, T., Lubian, F., Malpetti, M., Fracchetti, A., ... & Abutalebi, J.
(2017). The impact of bilingualism on brain reserve and metabolic connectivity in
Alzheimer's dementia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(7), 1690-
1695.
Shin, S. J. (2017). Bilingualism in schools and society: Language, identity, and policy.
Routledge.
Sorge, G. B., Toplak, M. E., & Bialystok, E. (2017). Interactions between levels of attention
ability and levels of bilingualism in children's executive functioning. Developmental
science, 20(1), e12408.