Bilingualism and Cultural Identity

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Psychology - Developmental Psychology, grade: 1,00, Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, language: English, abstract: This paper deals with the different aspects, in which bilingualism can affect the Cultural Identity of a child. It does so by illustrating the main features of the cultural identification process and relating them to the context of bilingualism. The essay also mentions special cases in which conflicting cultures are involved, such as Japanese-American or Arabic-Hebrew bilingualism. Finally, the author draws the conclusion that the exact influence of bilingualism on a childs Cultural Identity cannot be fully assessed, as it is a highly complex and multilayered concept. The development of Cultural Identity ultimately depends on the childs personality and the social environment it grows up in. However, multilingualism undoubtedly fosters a deeper understanding of our globalized world.