The Importance of Multilingualism

The Importance of Multilingualism

This article considers the importance of multilingualism, exploring the benefits of language learning beyond skill acquisition. As life-long learners and global citizens, languages provide insight, perspective and cultivate genuine connections.

Ananas – this word gave a ‘Eureka’ moment for a child in my grade one French class last week. With a big smile on her face, she quietly came to let me know that ananas was the same word in ‘her language’ too. We held a discussion about the origins of the word pineapple and the similarity between Russian and French and the fact that the English word is very different. Yes, this student is a multilingual child and yes, she is making links and developing her understanding of the world, and the etymology of words. Moreover, we shared something in that moment- a connection- that being multilingual is a special advantage: her smile showed that it meant something to her. The words of Nelson Mandela came to mind “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart.” Mandela was referring to the power of knowing and understanding another language and the impact this can have in any situation requiring negotiation and communication with others. For their future, our learners will require the highest levels of skill in speaking, negotiating, and working with others, and doing this in more than one language will give the upper hand. Yet what multilingualism gives children is not just linguistic knowledge and potential help in getting a better job, it also extends to the substantial long-lived cognitive, social, personal, academic, and cultural enrichment that all come with the ability to speak other languages.

NLCS follows the IB philosophy of promoting intercultural understanding and respect, not as an alternative to a sense of culture and national identity but as an essential part of life in the 21st century. This philosophy gives NLCS students an immediate understanding of why multilingualism is so important. Many of our learners are bilingual or trilingual and some are approaching polyglot status; they make links and connections between the languages they are acquiring and the languages they know. We aim to harness this in our teaching. We encourage students to develop their ability for learning how to learn in language lessons: understanding exactly how grammar works. We help them to recognise that knowing a second, third or fourth language helps with the mastery of their own native language; a multilingual student tends to develop a better understanding of grammar per se. In addition, we adopt an immersive and communicative approach, emphasising the practical use of language through interactive and engaging activities. We give our students the tools to become skilled life-long language learners.

Multilingualism parallels multiculturalism and we promote language learning through the widening of cultural horizons. We make opportunities to see foreign language plays at the theatre and to go on trips to museums: such as a visit to the Louvre in Abu Dhabi. We invite outside speakers to give talks about the languages they know and why it is important to learn foreign languages. Our Languages Society and language clubs provide academically enriching activities for everyone. We have overseas trips, and we welcome visitors of different nationalities to visit our school and share their language and culture with our learners. Songs, art, theatre, film, poetry, literature and the celebration of festivals and important international and national days: this is how we can connect children to a language. We want NLCS students to feel transported into a new world; to speak with a different tongue, to know new things, to wrestle with a new grammar structure, perhaps even a new alphabet, and most importantly to have a new way of seeing the world. A new perspective, the most important advantage multilingualism can provide.

Jayne Vickers is the Assistant Principal (Academic) at NLCS Dubai with responsibility for teaching and learning in the Senior School. She has been Head of Modern Foreign Languages at NLCS Dubai and other high performing IB schools in Europe. Jayne is a passionate linguist and a lifelong learner who believes in the importance of language for students of all ages.

Jayne completed a Master’s degree through Warwick University in Educational Leadership and Innovation.