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More Books About Bi-lingualism |
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Below you find a list of books about multilingualism with a short summary.
A Parents' and Teachers' Guide to Bilingualism, by Colin Baker. 2nd Edition, 2000.
ISBN: 1853594555
Probably the most useful of all the books on this list. The style is that of a FAQ sheet, i.e. questions people have actually asked, followed by Colin Baker's answers. Written in clear, straightforward, plain English. Includes identity problems multilingual children might have, language 'mixing' (you speak one language, the child speaks another, and you converse this way), the influence of the Internet on bilingualism, benefits for children who have a second language that is not as strong as their first language, language strategies to use with adopted children, employment and bilingualism, etc. You might want to actually buy this one if you can find it. |
The Bilingual Family: A Handbook for Parents, by Edith Harding and Philip Riley. Cambridge University Press, 1986.
ISBN: 0521311942 (still in print)
This is primarily a book for parents who are trying to decide whether or not to bring up their children as bilingual, and there is not much concrete advice on how to do this. In that sense, the book is definitely not a 'handbook'. The book presents the stories (case histories) of sixteen bilingual families (Indo-European languages), with the different ways they handled the problem of bilingualism. There is also a chapter on linguistic theory regarding bilingualism. As a university lecturer, I have to say this book reads like a university lecture, but if you are still debating on whether or not to raise your (unborn?) children as bilinguals, you'd probably benefit from reading it. |
Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, edited by Colin Baker and Sylvia Prys Jones. 1998
ISBN: 1853593621
Lots and lots and lots and lots of fascinating data. A very expensive reference book you should try to get your local library to buy. A good book to raise awareness about the diversity of language in the world. Points out, for example, that nearly two-thirds of all the inhabitants of the world are bilingual. Four sections: individual bilingualism; languages in society; languages in contact; and bilingual education. |
Growing Up with Two Languages: A Practical Guide, by Una Cunningham-Andersson and Staffan Andersson. 1999
ISBN: 041521257X
Case history of Swedish-English family living in Sweden, where English is a prestige language understood by large numbers of Swedes. Not much use for parents who speak a minority language in a country where they are not going to get outside reinforcement for that language, although it does emphasise being consistent in sticking to the family's system of who speaks what language to whom in which situation. Includes a list of internet resources which may be out of date already. |
Raising Multilingual Children: Foreign Language Acquisition and Children, by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa.
ISBN: 0897897501
Written by a bilingual (English-Spanish) who has taught in international schools in Japan, Ecuador and France, and who gives workshops on raising multilingual children to schools and families in Switzerland and France. She evaluates some of the research in linguistics and education, and reinterprets the findings in her own way. The best part of the book is the case studies, and a list of ten 'key-factors' (most of them given above in the 'Answer' part of this entry) for raising children to be multilingual. Strong emphasis on parents and teachers finding their own answers for their own situations. Includes a description of various stages in a child's linguistic development, with indicators to help you identify the stage your child is in. |
The Care and Education of Young Bilinguals: An Introduction for Professionals, by Colin Baker and Anne Sienkewicz.
ISBN: 1853594652
Primarily for teachers with bilingual children in their classrooms, or teachers of foreign language to young children. Parents interested in the schooling their children receive might want to read it. |
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