Jul

Life Changes When A Brain Goes Bilingual

by Sheron Long on July 29, 2014

Shape of the Western hemisphere in an eye, illustrating how life changes and the world view expands for people with a bilingual brain. (Image © Stockbyte)

Oh, how the view of your world expands!
© Stockbyte

Power Up! Know the 6 “Warming” Signs

The bilingual brain is hot! Powered by two or more languages, it leads to a series of life changes. Should you embark on this adventure, recognize the 6 “warming” signs and get set to become a different person.

#1 You Start to Zag

Growing up, you get pretty good at zigging, doing things the usual way. But once you start communicating in a second language, you have to find fast work-arounds. The very thing you want to say requires a word you don’t yet know.

Maybe you want to invite a friend to the beach, but you can’t recall the Spanish word for beach (playa), so you think on your sandals and say (in Spanish): Let’s find some sand. Or, Let’s go down by the water. Or, To Acapulco!

Acapulco beach, discovered while trying to build bilingual brain power in Mexico. Image © Erkki Tamsalu / iStock)

The beach in Acapulco—worth getting there!
© Erkki Tamsalu / iStock

When you’re learning a language, you do this over and over and over again. Pretty soon, an important concept sinks in: If you’re stuck and can’t solve the problem in one way, you can always solve it in another.

Then you start approaching all of life’s problems, big and small, in a flexible way—zigging when you can, zagging when you can’t.

#2 You Take More Risks

Anyone new to a language knows it’s a risk to open your mouth and talk. We all have our stories, like the time my husband expressed appreciation to our French friend Françoise: Merci, Frambroise! (Thanks, Raspberry!)

But it’s the unabashed courage to keep on talking that finally blesses you with a bilingual brain. Along the way, you learn that people are pretty understanding, and you figure out how to get yourself out of trouble.

All that leads to speaking up more, to trying new approaches without the fear of failure because you know one of your next risks will work out well.

#3 You Turn on a Dime

Once multiple languages fill your head, your brain has to activate and prioritize the one that’s needed.

Man's head showing his bilingual brain at work as he switches back and forth between two languages. (Image © Vectoraart / iStock)

The bilingual brain gets stronger
as it toggles between languages.
© Vectoraart / iStock

You find yourself speaking in English to one person and then turn on a dime to communicate with someone else in Spanish.

Your brain gets fast and facile at choosing the right body of words and setting the unneeded language aside.

In fact, you may use both languages at once when you talk to another bilingual, choosing the word from whichever language best conveys your idea.

Judith Kroll calls this “language juggling.” She reports on research showing how all this switching back and forth makes you better at multi-tasking, focusing, and prioritizing—all skills of value in other aspects of life and work.

#4 You Double Your Pleasure

Speak English, and you can talk to about 500 million people in the world. Learn Spanish, and you can talk to over 400 million more. More languages, more friends.

More fun, too, discovering the riches of a culture—so much new food, art, music, and tradition to enjoy.

Slices of a starfruit, native to the Philippines, illustrating how life changes with the tastes of a new culture. (Image © Quanthem / iStock)

Taste the carambola, or starfruit, and taste part
of the Philippine culture.
© Quanthem / iStock

And, if you like to play with language, you’ll have a whole new repertoire.

The French Voilà says something that’s hard to convey in English, and it has dozens of daily uses, like other words worth borrowing.

Other languages may have just the right word for your special someone. Instead of Honey, how about the Spanish Mi vida (my life) or the French Ma puce (my flea)?

#5 You Lose That Notion of “One Way”

In the US, people drive on the right; in Britain, on the left. But everyone gets around. As you become bilingual, you learn more about culture, too, seeing the truth in this Italian proverb: Many roads lead to Rome. Now you’re freed up for creative problem-solving!

And, more than likely, you’ll embrace someone else’s idea when you see it’s better. In France, les rondpoints (traffic circles) keep cars moving much better than the US intersections with 4-way stops.

Traffic circle in Tarascon, France, illustrating a life-changing idea more likely to be accepted by someone with a bilingual brain. (Image © Sheron Long)

French rondpoints are pretty and practical.
© Sheron Long

The French bullet trains connect cities as far apart as San Francisco and LA in 2.5 hours. Well, rondpoints and bullet trains weren’t hatched in the USA, but why not try them here?

#6 You See Life from Multiple Perspectives

Language is often the portal to a deeper understanding of a culture, an awareness of how people come at life in both the same and different ways.

Blurry clock face showing how different cultures think about the time. (Image © Hayatikayhan / iStock)

Time blurs in some cultures, and in others
it’s the focus: See you at 10 sharp!
© Hayatikayhan / iStock

Take time, for example. One perspective is that time is linear, useful for making and keeping to a schedule.

Another is that it’s more important to fill time well. Why head to a scheduled event when the present one isn’t satisfyingly over?

Attitudes toward time are deeply rooted in culture, so much so that invitations may give the start time of an event, followed by hora latina (Latin time) or hora inglesa (English time).

Just the assignment of a gender to every noun in Spanish, French, and Italian is a clue to cultural attitudes, though sometimes confusing.

Why is a word like necklace masculine in Spanish—el collar—and a word like beard feminine—la barba?

And why is fork masculine in Spanish (el tenedor) and feminine in French (la fourchette)?

After shifting in such fundamental ways when you step into another culture or speak a second language, you begin to appreciate that perspectives are not necessarily better or worse, just different. And that alone helps with all kinds of relationships, even those closest to home.

Ready to Build Your Bilingual Brain Power?

It’s easier than you may think. Foreign movies. Online courses. Volunteer travel. Bilingual forums. World music and songs. And soon your life changes.

Even if you don’t master your second language, you may have an experience like William Alexander’s. He flirted with French and failed, but he did see a huge increase in his scores on a test of cognitive power. As he told the New York Times, “Studying a language had been like drinking from a mental fountain of youth.”

Such an “Oh, I see” moment supports research studies on the benefits of bilingualism for improving memory and delaying dementia. If you don’t build your bilingual brain for the love of language and culture, power it up for the love of life!

Beach sandals, symbolizing how life changes when you take the road to building bilingual brain power. (Image © Oksancia / iStock)

Have fun!
Zig or zag your
way to a bilingual brain!
© Oksancia / iStock

For more on the benefits of a bilingual brain, including what people say they value most about being bilingual, see Dr. Neel Burton’s essay in Psychology Today. For a fun perspective on learning a new language, enjoy Flirting with French by William Alexander.

Comment on this post below.

Sheron Long 4 Comments

Becoming Bilingual/Cultural Diversity/Language & Culture

Jul

Chalk It Up to Dangerdust

by Meredith Mullins on July 21, 2014

Paul Klee chalkboard, life lessons via inspirational quotes and chalk art by Dangerdust.

A line is a dot that went for a walk—Paul Klee
© Dangerdust

Life Lessons in the World of Chalk Art

It’s after midnight. The classrooms at Columbus College of Art and Design are deserted and dark. All we hear is the unexpected sound of chalk on chalkboard.

Two shadowy figures, in a small pool of light, are hard at work on their weekly masterpiece. Vandals? Some might say so. But they are vandals of the best kind— capable of beautiful chalk art integrated with inspiring life lessons.

Covert Operations

The anonymous duo calls themselves Dangerdust. Their medium: motivational chalkboards that appear, mysteriously, every week in the hall of their Ohio art school. No one knows who the creators are (well, maybe a few friends and a professor or two). Dangerdust’s desire is to stay undercover.

Dangerdust at CCAD Art Fair, offering life lessons and inspirational quotes through chalk art.

Who is Dangerdust? We may never find out who the stealthy artists are.
Photo © Tyler Dunlavy (CCAD 2014)

The two Advertising and Design students have known each other for years. They say it’s easy to work together since they share the same work ethic and aesthetic when it comes to art and design.

To keep themselves from falling into a creative rut, last September they began to create the surreptitious chalkboards.

Close up of chalk art with a Q-tip, life lessons offered by Dangerdust

The tools of the trade
© Dangerdust

It was a way to stay creatively motivated, they said, through the long projects required for graphic design classes. “Chalking” got them away from the computer and back to the art of free design. It was also a way “to spend even more time not doing homework.”

Add to that some powerful inspirational quotes and the intrigue of anonymity, and the results attracted widespread attention. The chalkboards became a much awaited weekly event . . . and a social media sensation.

Coughing Up Chalk Dust

The first chalkboard paid homage to the elusive street artist, Banksy—appropriate given the duo’s own stealthy nature and their passion to deliver messages through a fleeting medium.

Banksy Chalkboard, chalk art offering life lessons by Dangerdust

Dangerdust Debut: A tribute to Banksy and aspirations of anonymity
© Dangerdust

After Week #1’s success, the ideas and artistic styles continued to evolve. Relatively simple monochromatic designs grew more sophisticated. More color. New typography. More hours. More coughing up chalk dust. Different tools (Q-tips, brushes, cloth). Art that adopted the style of the person quoted.

Nelson Mandela chalkboard, chalk art offering life lessons by Dangerdust

It always seems impossible until it’s done—Nelson Mandela
© Dangerdust

Doing What You Love

The quotes came from a diverse range of people—Claude Debussy, Bill Cosby, Julia Child, Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Paul Klee, Nelson Mandela—but often delivered a message about doing what you love doing.

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. —J.M. Barrie

If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. —Steve Jobs

The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life. —Jessica Hische

John Lennon chalkboard, chalk art offering life lessons by Dangerdust

Dimensional inspiration
© Dangerdust

When asked “What is the place of art in their lives?” the Dangerdust duo admits “It just sort of spills everywhere. We’ve always drawn, and we’ve always enjoyed any kind of creative pursuit. We expect it will always occupy, in some way, all of the space in our lives.”

Places to Go, Things to Do

Their last college chalkboard, presented on their graduation from CCAD in May (Chalkboard #24) offered the ultimate foreshadowing, a quote full of promise from Dr. Seuss.

Oh, the places you’ll go . . .

“It perfectly sums up where everyone is when they graduate,” the Dangerdust duo explained.

Dr. Seuss chalkboard, chalk art offering life lessons by Dangerdust

Words of graduation wisdom from Dr. Seuss
© Dangerdust (in collaboration with Casey Ligon)

And onward they go. Like most new graduates, they are forging their after-college path—doing freelance design, managing their social media celebrity, and turning some of that fan adoration into a revenue stream via their Etsy store.

They have also, just recently, begun to post new chalkboards to their Facebook page. Still anonymous. Still rich in design. Still inspiring.

If we wait until we’re ready, we will be waiting for the rest of our lives. —Lemony Snicket

The most effective way to do it is to do it. —Amelia Earhart

There is a recurring theme in the life lessons of this post-graduation chalk art. The “Oh, I see” moment is clear. Dangerdust believes in “doing it.” Artistic expression that kicks ass.

Amelia Earhart Chalkboard, chalk art offering life lessons by Dangerdust

Post-graduation inspiration
© Dangerdust

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins Comments

Quotes of Note/The World's Art & Design

Jul

Cultural Encounters at a D-Day Military Camp

by Sheron Long on July 14, 2014

Reconstructed American Military Camp at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont during the D-Day 70th anniversary commemoration, giving militaria collectors a chance to share their gear and providing cultural encounters for visitors. (Image © Sheron Long)

Reconstructed American military camp at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont during
the D-Day 70th Anniversary commemoration, 2014
© Sheron Long

Preserving Great Moments in History

The Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944, did no less than alter the course of the world. Seventy years later, the world still comes to the Normandy landing beaches to honor what the Allies accomplished in WWII, one of the great moments in history.

Of course, the occasion deserves the internationally-televised speeches by world leaders. But this year I chose to visit village commemorations, the ones that speak volumes about respect among ordinary people.

French woman standing at the door of her village house by the reconstruction of an American military camp to honor D-Day, a great moment in history. (Image © Sheron Long)

These village festivities, including the reconstructed American military camp in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, made me question if the merriment was suitable for the occasion. But the surprising cultural encounters I had there proved me wrong, leading to several “Oh, I see” moments.

More American than an American

With so much American memorabilia, from the tents to the uniforms to the vintage vehicles and supplies, I was sure the US government had staged the reconstruction . . . until the “soldiers” began to speak—in French!

Frenchmen, dressed like American soldiers, re-enact life in a military camp, providing a unique cultural encounter for visitors to the 70th anniversary of D-Day. (Image © Sherry Long)

Such cultural encounters are a disconnect—American to the eye, French to the ear. But, the duality stems from the fascination that most people have with great moments in history and from the passionate respect that the French have for the Allies who liberated their country.

So great is their passion that they bring a meticulous approach to recapturing the authentic life of the Allied military camps.

Kitchen in a typical American military camp during WWII with objected provided by militaria collectors. (Image © Sheron Long)

Everyday items, like those in this reconstructed army camp kitchen,
are passionately sought out by militaria collectors.
© Sheron Long

I strolled through the camp to a Glen Miller tune, taking in the American icons that were everywhere. Though the cartoon character of Betty Boop began as a French poodle and quickly morphed into the curvaceous woman she is today, it was the US soldiers in WWII who introduced her to France.

Kitchen table in a reconstructed military camp, showing Betty Boop. (image © Sheron Long)

Giving back, it was the French re-enactors from dedicated historical organizations who made sure Betty graced the table in the kitchen of this American army camp. The cultural exchange was complete.

American for a Day

Visitors to the reconstructed military camp got into the scene, too, dressing up as an admired American persona.

This man sports the mohawk worn by 13 paratroopers in the 101st Airborne Division on D-Day. Known as the “Filthy Thirteen,” these paratroopers were among the first to be dropped behind enemy lines with instructions to destroy key bridges and take no prisoners.

Frenchman impersonating a "Filthy Thirteen" paratrooper, visits the American military camp reconstructed for the D-Day 70th Anniversary commemoration of one of the great moments in history. (Image © Sheron Long)

This Frenchman chose to impersonate a “Filthy Thirteen” paratrooper.
Only four of the original thirteen survived the war.
© Sheron Long

On July 14, 1944, only 38 days after D-Day, 49 women in the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) landed in Normandy and took over the switchboards left behind by the Germans. So, naturally, the WACs appeared in the American military camp at the 70th Anniversary commemoration, too. These visitors look the part, both military and civilian.

A WAC and a civilian woman in 1940's period dress stand by vintage military vehicles as they participate in the commemoration of D-Day, one of the great moments in history. (Image © Sheron Long)

Military Vehicles for Posterity

When the Allies and the Germans moved through France, they left tons of military vehicles and equipment behind. Taken in by the French, the items have been passed from generation to generation or bought and sold in the many military antique fairs.

On the occasion of a military camp re-enactment, the vehicles arrive en masse much like a car meet in the US.

US military vehicles line up by the reconstruction of a WWII military camp where people commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day as one of the greatest moments in history. (Image © Sheron Long)

Now appearing in shows and parades, Jeeps and other vehicles
were instrumental after D-Day in the Allied advancement across northern France to Berlin.
© Sheron Long

With these privately-owned vehicles, the pride of ownership shows. But I learn from this cultural encounter that, for the owners, there’s something more—the responsibility to preserve the history related to the world’s greatest accomplishments.

Military cargo truck at a reconstructed American army camp to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, one of the greatest moments in history. (Image © Sheron Long)

Not all the military vehicles at the reconstructed camp were American, and one important one was not even of the period.

A post-war Soviet motorcycle based on German technology from the WWII period, shown at a reconstructed American military camp as part of a commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, one of the great moments in history. (Image © Sheron Long)

By now, I was used to speaking French with men in US uniforms. But when I used French to ask this man about his motorcycle, I didn’t get through. Finally, in English, he explained his story.

Born in East Germany, his father fought for the Germans in WWII. After the war, he returned home to his family in East Germany where this motorcycle became a common sight associated with how the Russians arrested citizens and kept them hostage.

Free now, the man I met cherishes his ownership of the motorcycle. He brought it to Normandy for the D-Day commemoration as a symbol of his freedom. He says:

“The Allies freed my father from Hitler and me from the Communists.”

This cultural encounter with an East German man in a US paratrooper uniform at a French re-enactment of an American military camp confirmed that celebratory festivities were, in fact, appropriate for the occasion. Certainly, freedom is cause for merriment.

Window of a Normandy house decorated with flags and ribbons for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, one of the great moments in history. (Image © Sheron Long)

D-Day events continue through 2014. For details, visit DDay-Overlord.com and the 70th-normandy.com. The Military Vehicle Preservation Association publishes dates for military vehicle meet-ups in the US.