Bilingual Children: From Birth to Teens (Multilingual Matters) (Multilingual Matters, 44)

There are many parents in the world today who have the opportunity to raise their children in two languages, but who are discouraged or dissuaded from doing so, either because they are not sure how to go about it or because of the often conflicting advice they receive from relatives, friends, acquaintances, health workers, teachers, etc. Bilingual Children: From Birth to Teens was written to allay many of the doubts and fears which parents might have about raising their children bilingually. By focusing in detail on the experiences of one particular family, as well as drawing widely on other relevant research into bilingualism, George Saunders shows that although parents may at times encounter difficulties in bringing up their children in two languages, these difficulties are by no means insurmountable, and that it is possible for children to achieve and maintain a reasonable and useful level of bilingualism, even when the circumstances are far from ideal. Children's acquisition of bilingualism is shown to be something normal, something positive, which can be a rewarding and enriching experience for both children and their parents. Since the book was written with the general reader in mind, it is composed in a very readable style and has clear, easily understandable explanations of any technical matters. Bilingual Children: From Birth to Teens updates and expands substantially on the information contained in George Saunders's previous book, Bilingual Children: Guidance for the Family, which was published in 1982 and which was very well received not only by general readers but also by specialist readers, e.g.: 'This book represents a remarkable achievement and deserves to be widely known. It goes far beyond a "how to" book for parents raising their children bilingually. It deserves a wide audience among specialists in childhood bilingualism and among all those generally interested in the psychological, social, and educational consequences of bilingualism.' (Glen G. Gilbert, Department of Linguistics, Southern Illinois University, writing in the journal Language in Society, December 1984). Containing even more useful information and practical advice, Bilingual Children: From Birth to Teens should likewise be of interest not only to parents contemplating or actually already raising their children bilingually, but also to educators, researchers, health workers, etc, indeed to anyone having contact with bilingual families and who would benefit from gaining a clear insight into bilingualism in general and bilingual children in particular.