Bilingual Benefits
Feb. 21st, 2023 11:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith.. include delaying Alzheimer's disease, and probably similar forms of cognitive decline. This effect far outstrips the latest drug approved for that purpose.
1) Given a choice between a free treatment that requires a lot of work, and an expensive drug, I suspect that people who can obtain the drug will prefer it. But the free option remains available to everyone.
2) Since proficiency is what matters, a great improvement to public health could be made by teaching all children a second language from birth or at least preschool, when it is possible to learn with native fluency. I doubt that America has any interest in doing so. But any parent could arrange it for their own kids, especially if there is a history of cognitive illness in the family.
1) Given a choice between a free treatment that requires a lot of work, and an expensive drug, I suspect that people who can obtain the drug will prefer it. But the free option remains available to everyone.
2) Since proficiency is what matters, a great improvement to public health could be made by teaching all children a second language from birth or at least preschool, when it is possible to learn with native fluency. I doubt that America has any interest in doing so. But any parent could arrange it for their own kids, especially if there is a history of cognitive illness in the family.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-02-23 06:25 am (UTC)I think there are some apps. Though the one time I tried, I couldn't tell if the people who replied wanted to talk with me or flirt with the American lady...
Big cities would have a lot of language and culture clubs. Suburbs may have a few.
Also, look at colleges/universities, religious institutions*, programs aimed at recent immigrants, and local libraries.
*Many religious institutions have services in a heritage language (i.e. Coptic) or may have a lot of foreign-language speakers in the congregation. Plus, they tend to be social hubs.
>>That's something I want to do with the Rutledge thread. Previously most of that activity was French, but now they've got plenty of Arabic speakers and a few other languages thrown in too.<<
I have mostly come at it from the other angle, suggesting people add extra languages to job-search materials.
For Rutlidge; I imagine people will end up looking after friend's kids, or bringing their own kids to mixed groups, etc. I think casual "watch my kid a minute" might still include a language barrier, but a more formal arrangement would include at least one bilingual participant.
If you decide to do this one I have a cute story-detail you could weave in. ;)