Bilinguality

Abstract

This chapter discusses bilnguals' psychological state of mind toward their languages and cultures. The author first introduces two types of hypothesis to address the functioning of bilinguals' mind in: the unitary system hypothesis and the dual system hypothesis. The author then discusses bilinguals' attitude toward the two or more languages they speak and demonstrates that bilinguals tend to have more creative thinking then monolinguals because of having the ability to move back and forth between two or more languages. The state of mind of bi-or multi-culturals are then explored at two levels: the individual level and the organizational level. The individual level discusses how biculturals may adjust to two or more different cultures, whereas the organizational level explores the benefits of having people from different cultures working collectively in an organization or an institution. Finally, the author compares child and adult bilinguals.