Linguistic Variables in a Multilingual and Multicultural World

We live in a multicultural and bilingual environment. L1 (our native language) & L2 (second language) exists together in the linguistic resources that consistently supports the system that helps every bilingual speaker to survive in the world. A number of studies have documented the cognitive outcomes associated with bilingualism. Some studies have also focused on the effect of bi/multilingualism on verbal intelligence that involves understanding of language and its effective usage and the effect on non-verbal intelligence which focuses on analytical skill with the help of paralinguistics without involving any language in it. However, the bridge between L1 and L2 is still under construction because unlike the signified picture which the sound-image ‘bridge’ compels us to visualize, this ‘bridge’ remains transcendental to the sensory details as it is non- linear and works on multiple levels of human comprehension. The attempt in this paper is to bring out the correlation between bilingualism and the diversity in the linguistic domain. It also attempts to focus on the impact of Whorfianism on verbal and non-verbal communication in bi/pluri-lingual domains.