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Life as a Bilingual

Life as a Bilingual

Life as a Bilingual

Knowing and Using Two or More Languages
François Grosjean, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland
June 2021
Available
Paperback
9781108972116

    About half the world's population knows and uses two or more languages in everyday life, and an increasing number of parents are raising their children bilingual. This makes a resource on what it means to become and be bilingual all the more necessary. This book brings together a selection of posts from the author's highly successful Psychology Today blog, grouped by topic into 15 chapters. The topics covered include, among others, what it means to be bilingual, the extent of bilingualism, how someone becomes bilingual, how bilingualism is fostered in the family, the bilingual mind and brain, and bilingualism across the lifespan. It also includes the author's lively interviews with other experts, delving into their research and their own experience as bilinguals. Written in a highly engaging, readable style, this book is suitable for anyone who wants to better understand those who live with two or more languages.

    • Gives a comprehensive overview of what it means to live with two or more languages
    • Provides an up to date description of the bilingual adult and child based on current research in the domains of linguistics, psychology, child development, education and brain sciences
    • Chapters are divided into short posts and written in a very accessible style, making them suitable for readers with no prior experience of linguistics

    Reviews & endorsements

    'This timely book transforms posts from a highly successful blog across ten years into a readily available, meticulously organized, and carefully annotated exposé of the bilingual person across the lifespan - at once an authoritative resource and a lively narrative of what it means to live with more than one language. An enjoyable read!' Elizabeth Lanza, Professor/ Director Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan (MultiLing), Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo

    'An insightful and comprehensive guide to all aspects of the experience of knowing and using more than one language. Grosjean combines his formidable expert knowledge with his first-hand experience into a book that is both informative and entertaining.' Monika S. Schmid, Professor of Linguistics, University of Essex

    'This book is an extremely digestible resource for the layperson or student first engaging with the topic of bilingualism and for the scholar or professor who seeks a review of the material for research or teaching purposes. It will make a superlative bank of supplementary readings for graduate classes that is sure to stimulate discussion and reflection on the part of students.' Alicia Pousada, retired professor, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

    'Written in a clear and engaging style, and yet sharing important research information, Grosjean here answers our many questions as we live and raise families bilingually. By centering life as a bilingual, Grosjean dispels many anxieties produced by monolingual framings, normalizing processes of growing up, living, learning, loving, thinking and ageing bilingually.' Ofelia García, The Graduate Center, City University of New York

    '… this collection of blog posts and interviews integrates theory and practice in an applicable manner that is fitting for students, teachers, professors, researchers, and families or caregivers. Extensive evidence from research-based findings comingles with anecdotal and personal narratives in a way so that any reader can serve as an advocate and better inform those who persist and maintain negative views towards bilingualism.' Kai Greene, In Dialogue/En Diálogo

    See more reviews

    Product details

    June 2021
    Paperback
    9781108972116
    352 pages
    228 × 152 × 20 mm
    0.53kg
    5 b/w illus.
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • 1. Describing Bilinguals
    • 2. The Extent of Bilingualism
    • 3. Using Two or More Languages
    • 4. Across the Lifespan
    • 5. Becoming Bilingual
    • 6. Bilingualism in the Family
    • 7. Children with Additional Needs
    • 8. Second Language Learning
    • 9. Biculturalism and Personality
    • 10. When the Heart Speaks
    • 11. Language Processing
    • 12. The Bilingual Mind
    • 13. The Bilingual Brain
    • 14. Special Bilinguals
    • 15. Reminiscing
    • Index.
      Author
    • François Grosjean , Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland

      A bilingual himself, François Grosjean is a world-renowned expert on the topic. He started his academic career at the University of Paris 8 and then taught and completed research in psycholinguistics at Northeastern University in Boston. In 1987, he was appointed professor at Neuchâtel University, Switzerland, where he founded the Language and Speech Processing Laboratory.