When Ananya Vinay took the victory podium at the recently held 2017 U.S. Scripps National Spelling Bee, it was a brain sport grand slam for the Indian-American community in that country. On May 17, Pranay Varada of Texas won the U.S. National Geographic Bee. Indian children also dominate the leader board at the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the U.S.’s most prestigious pre-college science competition.
So what explains this stunning performance (for Indians, at 1% of the U.S. population, this victory parade is a statistical freak, all else being equal). The reasons given for Indian success in these competitions are the ones usually tagged to Asian immigrants — work ethic, rote learning, high value placed on education in the families of these children (the parents themselves being highly educated), high household incomes, community support, etc. None of these statements are untrue about Indians, and it would indeed appear that a perfect storm of coincidences is powering these children to their enviable success.
The only problem with this rationalisation is the fact that other Asian groups in the U.S., particularly the Chinese, share these attributes in equal (or greater) measure. We have heard of the tiger mom! And yet, Chinese children are not represented among the finalists in these competitions in proportions that come close to the dominance by Indians. It is true that Indian parents are fluent in English — and that may play a role. But there is no reason to believe that their Chinese counterparts fare any worse in English, given that the out-of-home environment, where English is learnt and practised, is the same for both.
A factor?
Is it possible that bilingualism explains this success? Bilingualism promotes cognitive function and capacity. In an early study, its the authors concluded: - “Intellectually [the bilingual child’s] experience with two language systems seems to have left him with mental flexibility, superiority in concept formation and a more diversified set of mental abilities.” The brain adapts to environmental challenges and the cognitive enhancement seen in bilinguals may be spillovers from brain adaptations required for the complex task of learning and managing two different languages at the same time.
Bilingualism is a necessity for survival in India. Whether you are in the north or the south, you need a second language to communicate with those from outside your home State. Most will speak English since it is the medium of instruction in private schools and higher education. Indian children born in the U.S. are exposed by bilingual parents to two languages from birth — the language of their mother tongue, as well as English. Educated Indian parents seamlessly switch between English and the vernacular — this is in contrast to Chinese immigrants. Given these observations, it is reasonable to hypothesise that fluent bilingualism plays a role in the intellectual achievements of Indian children. That the phenomenon may not be unique to the U.S. is supported by similar dominance by Indian children in the RHB- The Straits Times National Spelling Championship spelling competition in Singapore — both the winner and the runner-up were Indians this year.
While celebrating these achievements, we must ponder over the implications for language education in India. Is bilingualism important? If so, how do we preserve it against the global monoculture that swamps our lives through social media? Urban Indians experience an increasing erosion of bilingual capability. The loss of a rich and diverse culture is one reason this is tragic. The cognitive disadvantage of being monolingual may be another.
Swaminathan Subramaniam is Founder-CEO at Nutrea, Bengaluru
