ABSTRACT

Growing Up with Two Languages provides a highly accessible account of the stages of language development, describes and evaluates the various systems and strategies that can be adopted and looks at the problems that can occur when a child is exposed to two languages and cultures.

Combining research-informed advice and the experience of parents raising children as speakers of a wide range of languages in every populated continent in the world, this book and its associated web material will answer questions, offer tried and tested strategies to keep children speaking a minority language, and provide material to enlist the support of the extended family, teachers and others. The perspective of adults who were themselves raised speaking more than one language is included. New to this edition is a chapter focusing on families raising children as speakers of indigenous and threatened languages as well as chapters for teachers and health professionals who want to know more about multilingual child language development and how they can support parents to continue speaking their language with their children. With new and updated first-hand advice, Internet resources and examples throughout, this book also includes a chapter that introduces important recent research into multilingual children and further reading guides for those who want to know more.

This book is for parents who are raising or plan to raise children as speakers of more than one language, and for the teachers and healthcare workers who meet and can support them.

chapter Chapter 1|15 pages

Families with more than one language

chapter Chapter 2|21 pages

Expecting a child in a multilingual home

chapter Chapter 3|29 pages

The child with two or more languages

chapter Chapter 4|23 pages

Family language policy

chapter Chapter 5|33 pages

Practical parenting in a multilingual home

chapter Chapter 6|27 pages

Problems you may encounter

chapter Chapter 8|14 pages

Teachers and educational contexts

chapter Chapter 9|5 pages

Healthcare and other professionals

chapter Chapter 10|11 pages

Research and further reading

chapter |2 pages

Concluding words