Reference no: EM131931160

The discussion about how bilingualism should be defined has often centered on the issue of language competence. [1] But, this focus overlooks other social and cultural factors such as knowing when and how to use polite expressions, for example. In other words, knowing how to use two languages in grammatically correct ways does not mean that one is bicultural. Therefore, when discussing the performance of bilinguals, cultural competence[2] is just as relevant as language (grammatical) competence.

Should the definition of BILINGUALISM include cultural competence (in addition to language competence)? Why? Why not? Give examples from your own experience and/or your observations of others?

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[1] Language competence can be defined as knowledge of rules that underlie speaker's judgments of grammaticality and meaning. Simply speaking, language competence means using the right words in correct grammatical forms.

[2] Cultural competence means knowing how to function within the context of the cultural beliefs and behaviors of a given language community.

Culture can be defined as a set of attitudes, values, belief systems, norms, and traditions shared by a particular group of people. It includes the way particular groups of people interpret the world; it provides individuals with a frame of reference or perspective for attaching meaning to specific events or situations, such as ways of expressing politeness.