The term bilingual we use it in our language to indicate that a person speaks two languages, that is, speaks, reads and writes the two languages in question perfectly.
Person who speaks two different languages or the text that is written in two languages
Generally, one of these languages is his language of origin and the other acquired it thanks to the study of it.
And on the other hand, when a text, a document, appears written in two languages, it will be said that it is also bilingual..
Meanwhile, it is known as bilingualism to ability of a person to be able to use and speak indistinctly, in any context and with exact communicative satisfaction, two different languages.
Native or acquired bilingualism
As we mentioned above, one of those languages that the person handles in an excellent way is their native language, that is, the one that is spoken in their place of origin, meanwhile, the other language that the person also handles in an excellent way can be have acquired thanks to the detailed study of it.
It should be noted that many times bilingualism arises not as a question sought, that is, it does not occur as a consequence of the study of the language but because the person settles in another country in which another language is spoken.
Then we can distinguish between acquired bilingualism and native bilingualism.
The first responds to the case in which an individual who is a native of a country and lives there all his life, for example Argentina, will speak the Spanish language, which is the native language, while from an early age he studies English.
After a long period of study, the person will have a perfect command of English and then it will be a case of acquired bilingualism.
In the case of native bilingualism, it occurs when a person is born in a place where English is spoken, but shortly after birth he moves with his family to another country where Spanish is spoken, and then at home he will speak English with his parents but in the rest of his social life, at school and with his friends he will speak Spanish.
As a consequence of globalization, bilingualism is a very common situation these days.
Benefits of bilingualism at the social, work and cognitive levels
Also, the demands of the labor market have contributed so that people speak two or more languages fluently, while speaking another language such as English will expand job opportunities and also the possibility of doing business in other countries with very good results since enables us to communicate smoothly.
So, in addition to being required by globalization and professional demands, learning one more language will provide the person with many other benefits.
As a consequence of being the most widely spoken language in the entire world, along with Spanish, English leads the way in learning as an additional language to the native one in many parts of the world.
English is taken today as a universal language, when two people speak different languages it is common for them to try to communicate through English, because it is the language that is learned second in almost all schools.
But let's talk about the other benefits or advantages of for example speaking English, it will be possible to understand and know other cultures in which this language is spoken, such as North American, English, Australian, Canadian or South African.
Also, the person who learns to speak English will be able to watch movies, series and read books in this language without problems, that is, they will expand their culture and the ways of entertaining themselves.
On the other hand, it makes it easier to make friends, not only through direct interaction but also through social networks, in this hyper-connected world in this sense.
English is undoubtedly the most widely spoken language on the internet.
On the cognitive level, learning another language is beneficial as it helps to develop this level and make our brain more flexible.
Likewise, those who want to study abroad will have an advantage if they speak English because precisely the most important schools and universities in the world offer their courses and careers with this language.
And we cannot ignore the benefit of speaking English when traveling as a tourist, we will be able to locate ourselves better, and before any need make ourselves understood.
