Why bilingualism matters for individuals, communities, and societies

Research shows that bilingualism in any languages, regardless of prestige or worldwide diffusion, can provide a range of cognitive and social benefits - although not in all cases and in all contexts. However, there are still many misconceptions about what it means to be or become bi/multilingual. I will first describe the main myths, facts and benefits of bilingualism over the lifespan. I will outline some of the implications for different communities and the importance of bilingual education for more just and less divisive societies. I will then show what the information and public engagement centre Bilingualism Matters is doing in Scotland and through the 28 branches of its international network to enable people to make informed decisions on multilingualism, language learning, and language diversity.

Antonella Sorace is Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. She is a world leading authority in the field of bilingual language development across the lifespan, where she brings together methods from linguistics, experimental psychology, and cognitive science. She is also committed to disseminating the findings of research on bilingualism in different sectors of society. She is the founding director of the information and public engagement centre Bilingualism Matters, which has 28 branches in three different continents.