The Bilingual Mind: Thinking, Feeling and Speaking in Two Languages

155 Pages·2007·8.11 MB·

by  Rafael Art. Javier (auth.)

The Bilingual Mind
COGNITION AND LANGUAGE
A Series in Psycholinguistics • Series Editor: R. W. RIEBER
Recent Volumes in this Series:
THEBILINGUALMIND:
Thinking,FeelingandSpeakinginTwoLanguages
RafaelArt.Javier
THECOLLECTEDWORKSOFL.S.VYGOTSKY
Volume1:ProblemsofGeneralPsychology
Volume2:TheFundamentalsofDefectology(AbnormalPsychologyand
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LANGUAGEFORTHOSEWHOHAVENOTHING
MikhailBakhtinandtheLandscapeofPsychiatry
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LANGUAGE,THOUGHT,ANDTHEBRAIN
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Rafael Art. Javier
The Bilingual Mind
Thinking, Feeling and Speaking
in Two Languages
RafaelArt.Javier
St.John’sUniversity
8000UtopianParkway
Queens,NewYork11439
USA
Tel:[phone]or1972
Fax:[phone]
[email protected]
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ISBN978-0-387-30913-2 e-ISBN978-0-387-30914-9
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To my son, Joshua
An invitation to continue solidifying his bilingual
and bicultural identity
Island
bewitched
space time
Mother
flying manatees
coconuts that play
black rhythms
hanging ripe mangoes
waiting to be sucked
through that infinitesimal
seeping life-giving
hole
parrot fish
gently dancing dazzle
with their brilliant colors
I baptize myself deep
in your inviting warm
turquoise blue waters
I discover my origins
prior to sex and conscience
innocent clear
I feel I float
in your amniotic fluid
you feed me and I exist
yesterday today tomorrow
I breathe you I drink you
in a frigid
January morning
de mi lindo Nueva York
your tropical air
warms my
being
and once again
I am
thinking feeling
speaking
en español
Alina Camacho-Gingerich, Ph.D.
vii
Acknowledgment
This book is the result of several years of gestation where the determination
of producing a different kind of book than normally written was the guiding
force. To the extent to which this was accomplished, my thanks go to Robert
Rieber, a friend and mentor who over the years encouraged me, in subtle and
more direct ways, to complete the book. But my passion for bilingualism was
sparked at the Millhauser Lab, New York University Medical Center, where
IhadthefortunetomeetandworkcloselywithDr.MurrayAlpertandDr.Luis
Marcos who were already engaged in bilingual research and welcomed me to
theirlabswithopenarms.Fortheirguidanceovertheyears,Ithankthem.Some
ofmystudentswereinstrumentalinsomeaspectsofthisbook,likeDr.Michele
Munoz, who worked in some of the research projects discussed in the book,
and Lorie Blas, who worked hard and extended herself to make possible the
completion of the book within the time frame. I thank them both. I also extend
my thanks to Clare Douglas who assisted me in the midst of her hectic day
to find language distribution maps and scan material needed for the book. My
former secretary, Cathy Lancellotti, should also be thanked for helping me to
keep the office going while I was the Director of the Center for Psychological
Services and Clinical Studies at St. John’s University and making it possible
for me to focus on working on the book. Margaret Cashin’s assistance is also
greatly appreciated for helping me find important material that I needed for
the book. Her unwavering willingness to search for difficult-to-find documents
and her excellent computer skills made it easier for me to complete this book
project within reasonable time. Thank you. I also want to thank my patients
for illuminating me on how bilingualism affected their lives and how it gave
them their unique texture, quality, and flavor that was different than the other
patients. The poem “Island” by Dr. Camacho-Gingerich included in this book
was specifically selected not only for its literary merit but because it clearly
illustratesthesubjectmatterofthebook.IthankDr.Camacho-Gingerichforher
important contribution. She read and provided important suggestions in some
sectionsofthebook.Finally,Iwouldliketothankmyson,Joshua,towhomIam
dedicating this book. It is a great and humbling experience to see him slowly
growing as a Latino young man with his dual heritage (Latino/Irish-American).
ix
Contents
The Island vii
Acknowledgment ix
1. Bilingualism and Social Context: An Introduction 1
Linguistic Communities 2
Fear of Bilingualism? 13
Traditional Solution to the Bilingual Problem 15
Current State of Affairs and the Bilingual Phenomenon 16
The Challenge 18
2. Is There a Bilingual Mind? 21
The Bilingual Process in the Context of the Cognitive
Development 23
No Single Theory can Explain Cognitive Development in a
Bilingual Context 29
Evidence of the Bilingual Mind? 31
3. The Bilingual Linguistic Organization 37
The Coordinate–Compound Linguistic Organization Controversy 38
Compound Linguistic System 39
Coordinate Linguistic System 41
The Language Independence Phenomenon 42
Psychological/Psychoanalytic Observation 44
Psycholinguistic Studies 44
Neurological Evidence 47
Conclusion 50
4. Language Switching As a Communication 53
Factors Affecting Switching 54
Structural Linguistic Factors 54
Extralinguistic and Affective Factors 56
Role of Stress in Code-Switching 58
Effect of Stress on Learning 61
Conclusion 62
xi
xii Contents
5. Bilingual Memory and the Language of Affect 63
Neurological Aspects of Memory 63
Unit for Regulating Tone and Waking and Mental States 68
Unit for Receiving, Analyzing and Storing Information 70
Unit for Programming Regulation and Verification
of Activity 71
Developmental Factors in Memory Formation 72
Memory of Traumatic Event in Children: Can Memory
be Falsified? 73
Memory Organization in the Bilingual Context 74
Bilingual Memory for Meaningful Information 76
Investigation of Bilingual Personal Memory 80
Concluding Thoughts 82
6. Communication Through Interpreters 85
Communication Process 87
Components of Communication 88
Distinguishing Characteristics of Interpretation versus
Translation Process 90
Challenges to Accurate Interpretation 92
Methods of Interpretation 94
Training of Interpreters 95
Common Errors 96
Omission 96
Additions 98
Condensation 98
Substitutions 99
Role Exchange 99
Conclusion 100
7. Issues in Assessing the Bilingual Individual 103
Personal Motivation/Specific Needs
of the Referring Person 103
Linguistic Challenges in the Assessment Process 106
Validity of the Assessment Instruments 107
Factors to be Considered in Assessing
a Bilingual Individual 111
Selection of Basic Assessment Instruments 114
8. Treatment of the Bilingual Patients 117
Memory Organization in Bilingual Patients 119
Nature of Memory Inaccessibility in a Bilingual Context 121
Technical Considerations 124
Conclusion 126