Language is Power

Jaime R. Gutiérrez

Hook

Thesis Statement

• I'm in favor of promoting biligualism in Puerto Rico

Subtopic #1

• A heightened ability to monitor the environment.

Evidence

“Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often — you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language,” says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompeu Fabra in Spain. “It requires keeping track of changes around you."

Subtopic #2

• Has a positive effect on intellectual growth and enriches and enhances a child's mental development

Evidence

• Kathleen Marcos (1998) reviews the personal, cognitive, academic, and societal benefits of second language learning.

Subtopic #3

• Executive functions are those cognitive processes such as problem solving, mental flexibility, attentional control, inhibitory control, and task switching.

Evidence

• Bilingual individuals have been shown over a number of different tasks and situations to be better at such processes; suggesting an interaction between being bilingual and executive functions.

Call To Action