Is It Good To Be Bilingual?

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“Bonne journée les amis. J'espère que vous allez tous bien aujourd'hui ?” You may be wondering what I just wrote and what language it is. While some of you may understand it and some may not, I wrote few words of pleasantries in French of which the translation is "Good day friends. I hope you are all well today?"... The French language is one the extra languages I was taught in primary school in addition to the three major languages in Nigeria which are Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba...

Luckily, it seems I'm bilingual or can I be multilingual? With few past knowledge of the language (french) I spoke the words and it was transcribed using the Google speech-to-text feature on the Google keyboard.

So is it good to be bilingual? Join me as we delve into this interesting topic

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In simple terms, bilingual means being able to speak two languages fluently. In English Language, the prefix 'bi' is means two or twice. When it comes to language, it equally means the ability to speak two languages fluently.

Basically, it doesn't necessarily mean being perfectly skilled in both languages, but rather having a good command of the both of them and being able to make use them in everyday life. And a bilinguist is a person who deals in the study of bilingualism, such as a language teacher or linguist.

Sometimes, people mistake the term bilingual for multilingual. Bilingual means speaking two languages fluently while multilingual means speaking three or more languages.

This is a great question! As a youth, who will eventually become a parent one day, I think and will be glad to encourage my kids to be bilingual or even multilingual. Learning two or more languages has many benefits for better development, open doors of opportunities and it will also help kids to connect and explore other cultures..

While as kid, my mom always taught me the Hausa language apart from her local dialect. Also in school, I was taught the French language alongside the three major languages in Nigeria making me to become bilingual and even multilingual. I know the importance of being bilingual so I will do my best to encourage my children in the future..

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Having fluently speaking the English Language, Hausa and Little of the French, I will love to learn one more language additional. I would love to learn the Spanish language, because it is the second most spoken language in the world and it's is widely used in many countries of the world. Learning this language will likely make me social with people internationally and learn new cultures.

There are many benefits/importance of speaking more than a language!

• First, it gives you a greater understanding of different cultures and pattern of thinking.

• Second, it definitely will open up more opportunities for travel, work and socializing. These days, bilingual people are mostly chosen for some certain kinds of job.

• Third, it can develop your mental and cognitive abilities..

• Lastly, it can make you more able to adapt and flexible in new situations. Finding yourself in a new country and being able to speak more than a language will be of great help in socializing.

All of these benefits, put together will produce a better quality of life.

Being bilingual or even multilingual has so many benefits. Not only that it helps to connect with people from different cultures, improves memory and cognitive abilities, develops confidence and open doors for opportunities in travel, work and socialization.

So if you are feeling interested and have the chance to learn a new language, I think you should definitely take it of which it will be of lifetime benefits...

Merci d'avoir lu et bonne journée.

Go find the translation yourself lol...

I Invite @naf-j23, @kidi40 and @princevincent1

Cc,
@goodybest