Getting A- for HG2010 Bilingualism and Multilingualism
- christabel teo
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
HG2010 Bilingualism and Multilingualism
What is HG2010 Bilingualism and Multilingualism about?
This module explores how individuals and societies use and navigate two or more languages. You’ll learn about the cognitive, social, and educational dimensions of bilingualism and multilingualism, including how multiple languages are acquired, stored, and processed in the mind. The course also examines the benefits and challenges of bilingualism, the role of language in identity, and multilingual policies in real-world contexts like Singapore. If you're curious about how people juggle different languages in daily life or across generations, this is the module for you.
Assessment Breakdown
Component | Weightage |
Class participation | 10% |
Linguistic survey participation | 10% |
Quiz | 20% |
Annotated Bibliography | 30% |
Essay 30% | 10% |
My Experience
This was easily one of the most fascinating modules I have taken so far and I found myself genuinely interested in the material from start to end. The topics we covered were really engaging and often felt relatable and relevant especially in a multilingual society like Singapore. I found it especially interesting when we discussed how people sometimes express grief in their second language because it can feel more emotionally distant, and how different parenting methods like One Parent One Language (where each parent consistently uses a different language with the child) shape how bilingual children acquire language. We also explored why people from different racial groups might pronounce English words differently, which gave insight into how language and identity are shaped by social and cultural factors.
I really, really liked how accessible the concepts were. Nothing felt too abstract or overly technical, and most ideas were easy to relate to because they connected to real-life experiences especially for anyone who grew up speaking or hearing multiple languages at home. Singlish was also frequently discussed throughout the module, and it made everything feel very relevant to the Singapore context. We learnt about creoles and how they often carry social stigma, with languages like Singlish being viewed as unpolished or not proper, even though they are rich in cultural identity and linguistic complexity..
That said, I did not perform as well as I had hoped for some of the graded components which I will share more about in the next section😔 Still, the content itself was incredibly enriching and I looked forward to every lecture and tutorial.
Study Tips
Class participation makes up 10% of your final grade and half of that comes from a group presentation where 2-3 of you will present on the topic taught lecture the week before. This is not about rehashing what was already covered, but about building on it or enriching the discussion with new insights for your classmates. My partner and I got an A- for ours, and while the feedback was generally positive, we were told that some of our slides were too wordy😔 We also ended our presentation with a Kahoot session to engage the audience, but we were told the answers were too straightforward, so do try to make yours more thought-provoking if you go down that route!
The quiz is entirely MCQ which might sound easy at first but it was actually quite challenging as many of the questions were application-based and required a deeper understanding of the material. I scored a measly 74/100, which was lower than I expected considering how much I studied for this. Looking back, the key reason for this is that I didn't go through the weekly readings in enough detail. Many questions were about the content in the readings. So please learn from my mistakes and DO NOT neglect the readings as they can make all the difference.
The Annotated Bibliography is done in the same group as your presentation. You will need to gather a list of sources related to your research question, analyse them, and write a short conclusion. My partner and I received a B for this which was of course devastating but honestly we only had ourselves to blame because we somehow missed the requirement to include an introduction😭 As a result, our work lacked focus and came across as quite scattered, according to our tutor's feedback. Don't be like us and look at your assignment brief closely!
For the final essay, we were given a choice between two questions. One asked whether politicians should use Singlish in their rally speeches, while the other involved analysing an AI-generated essay that misinterpreted key concepts about bilingualism. I did the first one and I actually had a lot of fun working on it honestly. It was interesting to research the use of Singlish in Singapore, especially in the context of diglossia and how language use varies depending on setting, audience, and perceived prestige. I ended up scoring an A for this essay PHEWW... small comeback moment after the earlier components didn't go as well as I had hoped. A tip I'd give is to use a wide variety of sources as you need to demonstrate that you have done extensive research and thought critically about the topic. Remember your PEEL structure too!
Final grade: A- booooooo (BUT I'm lowkey relieved bc it could've been much worse!!)
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