ABSTRACT
Increasingly around the world children are learning more than one language. In this chapter, I focus on a specific context in which children learn an additional language, namely through living in, and being educated through, a majority language that is not the language of the child’s home. This context is arguably one of the most prevalent internationally in which children can become bilingual, and hence examining key issues from within this domain provides a useful overview of some of the main concerns within the area of young child second language acquisition. Research is reviewed which identifies specific issues and challenges with which linguistically diverse children learn the majority language and develop literacy skills – a key issue for educational achievement. The issue of cognitive benefits of bilingualism is also investigated as to whether and to what extent we can illustrate that children from linguistically diverse backgrounds are advantaged from their language learning experiences. The challenge of how best to meet the educational needs of linguistically diverse pupils is also examined together with recommendations for practice. I conclude by suggesting that while Roger Bacon’s quote from centuries ago ‘Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom’ does have empirical support today, many linguistically diverse children may not be reaping the benefits potentially available to them. There are clear benefits of knowing and using more than one language, and hence societies around the world should do their utmost to ensure that all children can benefit from these multilingual experiences.
