16
2.2.3 Bilingualism
The concept of bilingualism seems at first sight to be non-problematical. According to Webster’s dictionary 1961 bilingual is defined as ‘having or using
two languages especially as spoken with fluency characteristic of a native-speaker; a person using two languages especially habitually and with control like that of a
native- speaker and bilingualism as ‘the constant oral use of two languages’. In the
popular view, being bilingual equals being able to speak two languages perfectly; this is also the approach of Bloomfield 1935:56, who defines bilingualism as ‘the
native- like control of two languages’. In contradiction to this definition which
includes only ‘perfect bilinguals’ Macnamara 1967 proposes that a bilingual is anyone who possesses a minimal competence in only one of the four language skills,
listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing, in a language other than his mother tongue. Between these two extremes one encounters a whole array of
definition as, for example, the one proposed by Titone 1972, for whom bilingualism is the individual’s capacity to speak a second language while following
the concept and structures of that language rather than paraphrasing his or her mother tongue.
There are some factors why a person can be a bilingual. Such as mobilization, nationalism, education, culture or religion. Mobilization can make a bilingualism
condition when immigrants have to interact with the native, they will learn the native language. Nationalism movement appears a necessity of a country like Indonesia.
Education and culture can also make a bilingualism situation if those languages and cultures spread to other place, so person who want to learn about it have to
understand the language first. The religion is usually written in a language ,Arabic in
Universitas Sumatera Utara
17 Islam and Latin in Christian.it makes us have to understand about the language if we
want to understand about it. Umar and Napitupulu 1994: 9-10
2.2.4 Code
Kategori