Utah and the Value of Bilingualism

Utah and the Value of Bilingualism

The word “bilingualism” may be defined as the ability to speak two languages fluently, or the habitual use of two languages. Being able to speak more than one language, or to at least be conversational in a language other than the one learned in childhood, can prove to be advantageous in several ways.

The Advantages of Being Bilingual

College Students Studying AbroadHenri Delacroix, a French psychologist stated, “The individual’s whole experience is built upon the plan of his language.” The ability to converse in a different language opens up many windows and doors of opportunity for an individual not only in an economic sense as The Economist emphasizes by stating that “being at least bi-lingual could increase the average American’s retirement fund somewhere in the ballpark of $67,000 over the course of a career,” [1] but as New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof so adequately pointed out, it also allows a person to have extraordinary cultural experiences.

Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist, brilliantly stated, “In the lives of individuals and societies, language is a factor of greater importance than any other. For the study of language to remain solely the business of a handful of specialists would be a quite unacceptable state of affairs.” And Frank Smith, Psycholinguist, Professor of Education and author, stated, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”

The State of Utah Sets a Precedent in Bilingualism

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof stated,

Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, is an example of a city mixing together with different languages — largely because of the high concentration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served missions abroad — and it’s something young people should pursue. [1]

He also points out that language diversity alone is not what sets Utah apart from most other states, but rather, it is language diversity intermingled with a “wealth of international experience,” which he notes is in short supply in the American higher educational system. He further stated,

One of the aims of higher education is to broaden perspectives, and what better way than by a home stay in a really different country, like Bangladesh or Senegal? Time abroad also leaves one more aware of the complex prism of suspicion through which the United States is often viewed. If more Americans had overseas experience, our foreign policy might be wiser. [2]

Students Studying AbroadAccording to the University of Utah, there are more than 130 languages spoken in commerce in Utah on a daily basis, making Utah a center for both trade and global companies. Thus, it is not uncommon to find the state listed at the top of Forbes list as one of the best states in which to conduct business.

Perhaps it was Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein, an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language who stated it best when he said, “The limits of my language are the limits of my world. If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.”

Mormons Plant Thousands of Trees in Haiti

Mormons Plant Thousands of Trees in Haiti

Thirty years ago The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church) began missionary efforts in Haiti. To commemorate that milestone and the progress made since then, The Church of Jesus Christ headed up a massive, nation-wide project that will bring beauty and life back into Haiti, a country still recovering from the devastating earthquake in January 2010.[1]

Tree-Planting Project Should Bring Hope to Haiti

trees haiti boys happy lfThe Church of Jesus Christ has organized a tree-planting project to help restore beauty back to Haiti after its shattering earthquake in 2010. The Church procured about 400,000 saplings and obtained the help of local Mormons to plant them all over the country. The planted trees include lemon, orange, papaya, and coconut, and will eventually be able to contribute both shade and food to Haitian communities. (more…)

Elder Edward Dube – Church of Jesus Christ First Quorum of Seventy Member

Elder Edward Dube – Church of Jesus Christ First Quorum of Seventy Member

Edward Dube was born on 12 May 1962 in Chirumanzu, Zimbabwe to Clement Dube and his wife, Rosemary.

He has been a General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 9inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church by the media and others) since April 2013. He is the first Zimbabwean and the second Black African to serve as a General Authority.

The Influential Power of the Book of Mormon

Edward Dube with quote about missionaries.Elder Dube was a young man working as a servant in the home of Leaster Heath when he was given a copy of the Book of Mormon. Two years passed before he gained an interest in reading the Book of Mormon, but once he did, it made a tremendous impact on his life.

I remember sitting in a railway station and reading the book. I read it for a very long time that day. To me, what was touching was the Prophet Joseph Smith’s testimony, when he related his experience with Moroni’s visitation to him. I would be reading in the middle of the book and go back to the introduction and just read that part. [1] (more…)

BYU Hawaii Most Diverse School in United States

BYU Hawaii Most Diverse School in United States

More than half of the students at Brigham Young University Hawaii are from outside the United States, making it the most diverse undergraduate school in the United States. Although the school has just 2700 students, seventy countries are currently represented in the student body. Preference is given to students from outside the country in order to encourage the diversity that is considered an essential part of the school’s learning experience.

BYU Hawaii Mormon UniversityThe dream of this school began in the 1950s, when David O. McKay, a church leader was visiting Laie, where the school is now located. He watched as a group of ethnically diverse children participated in a flag ceremony and began to envision an environment in which people from all over the world could come together and learn about each other. They could then return home to use the wisdom they gained from the experience in business, in government, and in church service. (more…)

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