Benefits of bilingualism

Australia's diverse population speaks over 300 languages - making it one of the most multilingual countries in the world. Yet experts warn we could face a crisis in foreign language education with a mono-cultural mindset of English is enough. This mentality is turning multilingual students into monolingual English speakers, while native English speakers struggle to acquire a second language in the school system. Australia is a truly multicultural nation. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) March 2016 data shows that 28 per cent of Australia's population was born overseas. Yet young Australians are losing interest in learning a foreign language. Year 12 language student numbers have dropped significantly from 40 per cent in the 1960s to just 12 per cent today. Linguistic anthropologist Dr Juliane Boettger from James Cook University says this is due to a mono-cultural mindset.

bilngual cultural access by Getty Images Source: bilngual cultural access by Getty Images