Bilingual : life and reality / Francois Grosjean.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Grosjean, François.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bilingualism.

Linguistics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Whether in family life, social interactions, or business negotiations, half the people in the world speak more than one language every day. Yet many myths persist about bilingualism and bilinguals. Does being bilingual mean you are equally fluent in two languages, or that you belong to two cultures, or even that you have multiple personalities? Can you become bilingual only as a child? Why do bilinguals switch from one language to another in mid-sentence? Will raising bilingual children confuse and delay their learning of any language? In a lively and often entertaining book, an international authority on bilingualism, son of an English mother and a French father, explores the many facets of bilingualism. In this book, François Grosjean draws on research, interviews, autobiographies, and the engaging examples of bilingual authors. He describes the various strategies-some useful, some not-used by parents raising bilingual children, explains how children easily pick up and forget languages, and considers how bilingualism affects the experience and expression of emotions, thoughts, and dreams. This book shows that speaking two or more languages is not a sign of intelligence, evasiveness, cultural alienation, or political disloyalty. For millions of people, it's simply a way of navigating the complexities of life.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1. Bilingual Adults

1. Why Are People Bilingual?

2. Describing Bilinguals

3. The Functions of Languages

4. Language Mode and Language Choice

5. Code-Switching and Borrowing

6. Speaking and Writing Monolingually

7. Having an Accent in a Language

8. Languages across the Lifespan

9. Attitudes and Feelings about Bilingualism

10. Bilinguals Who Are Also Bicultural

11. Personality, Thinking and Dreaming, and Emotions in Bilinguals

12. Bilingual Writers

13. Special Bilinguals

Part 2. Bilingual Children

14. In and Out of Bilingualism

15. Acquiring Two Languages

16. Linguistic Aspects of Childhood Bilingualism

17. Family Strategies and Support

18. Effects of Bilingualism on Children

19. Education and Bilingualism

Conclusion

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780674056459

0674056450

OCLC:

794059465