Bilingualism
‘can increase mental agility’
Bilingual
children outperform children who only speak one language in problem-solving
skills and creative thinking, according to research led at the University of
Strathclyde.
A study of
primary school pupils who spoke English or Italian- half of whom also spoke
Gaelic or Sardinian- found that the bilingual children were significantly more
successful in the tasks set for them. The Gaelic-speaking children were, in
turn, more successful than the Sardinian speakers.
The
differences were linked to the mental alertness required to switch between
languages, which could develop skills useful in other types of thinking. The
further advantage for Gaelic-speaking children may have been due to the formal
teaching of the language and its extensive literature.
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