Bilingual Children : Guidance for the Family /
George Saunders.
- 1st ed.
- Clevedon, UK : Multilingual Matters, 1983.
- xiii, 264 p. : ill. ; 21 cm.
- Multilingual Matters .
Vol. 3 in the Multilingual Matters series.
Includes bibliographical references.
"In the world today there are many parents who have the opportunity to raise their children in two languages, but who are discouraged or dissuaded from doing so, either because they are uncertain of how to go about it or because of the often conflicting advice they receive from relatives, friends, acquaintances, health workers, teachers, etc. Bilingual Children: Guidance for the Family was written to allay many of the doubts and fears parents might have about raising their children bilingually. By focussing 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 encounter some 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 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. Containing much useful information and practical advice, Bilingual Children: Guidance for the Family should of interest not only to parents contemplating or actually already raising their children bilingually, but also to other people, such as educators, researchers and health workers, 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." (Book Cover) CONTENTS: Preface Glossary 1. Bilingualism Introduction What is bilingualism?
Is bilingualism an advantage or disadvantage? 2. Establishing Bilingualism in the Family The Family Motives for creating bilingualism Infant bilingualism Method employed 3. Communication in the Family: How it Works General remarks The children's communications strategies The children addressing both parents simultaneously The children addressing father plus monolingual(s) Brother to brother communication Brothers to sister communication Private speech Communication with animals
Communication with toys 4. Departures from Normal language Choice in the Family Introduction Role play The mother's knowledge of German Storytelling by the parents Code switching and triggering Quotational switching
Quotational switching in storytelling 5. Influences from Outside the Immediate Family Attitudes of monolingual English-speakers Relatives and friends Playmates Peer group pressure Use of the "wrong" language The children and German-English bilinguals Kindergarten and school 6. Further Possible Problems in Establishing Bilingualism Children reluctance to speak the home language Effect of the Father's not being a native speaker of German 7. Measuring Proficiency in Both Languages Introduction Receptive vocabulary Estimating fluency and accuracy Storytelling Free speech A look at the children's accuracy over time Types of errors and reasons for their occurrence Syntactic transference Semantic transference Lexical transference
Phonological transference
Communicative competence
Conclusions about the children's accuracy
Measuring degree of bilingualism 8. Biliteracy 9 How the Children View Bilingualism The children's attitudes to their to languages The children and language and languages 10. Other Aids to the Development of Bilingualism Books Records and cassettes Radio and television Games Outings Shops, restaurants, etc Ethnic schools and playgrounds Visits to and from the linguistic homeland Correspondence Language maintenance for parents 11. Conclusions Notes References Index
"In the world today there are many parents who have the opportunity to raise their children in two languages, but who are discourages or dissuaded from doing so, either because they are uncertain of how to go about it or because of the often conflicting advice they receive from relatives, friends, acquaintances, health workers, teachers, etc. Bilingual Children: Guidance for the Family was written to allay many of the doubts and fears 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 encounter some 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 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. Containing much useful information and practical advice, Bilingual Children: Guidance for the Family should be of interest not only to parents contemplating or actually already raising their children bilingually, but also to other people, such as educators, researchers and health workers, 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" (Book cover). 1.Bilingualism Introduction What is bilingualism? Is bilingualism an advantage or disadvantage? 2. Establishing Bilingualism in the Family The Family Motives for creating bilingualism Infant bilingualism Method employed 3. Communication in the Family: How it Works General remarks The children's communications strategies The children addressing both parents simultaneously The children adressing father plus monolingual(s) Brother to brother communication Brothers to sister communication Private speech Communication with animals Communication with toys 4. Departures from Normal language Choice in the Family Introduction Role play The mother's knowledge of German Storytelling by the parents Code switching and triggering Quotational switching Quotational switching in storytelling 5. Influences from Outside the Immediate Family Attitudes of monolungual English-speakers Relatives and friends Playmates Peer group pressure Use of the "wrong" language The children and Germance English bilinguals Kindergarten and school 6. Further Possible Problems in Establising Bilingualism Children reluctance to speak the home language Effect of the Father's not being a native speaker of German 7. Measuring Proficiency in Both Languages Introduction Receptive vocabulary Estimating fluency and accuracy Storytelling Free speech A look at the children's accuracy over time Types of errors and reasons for their occurrence Syntactic transference Semantic transference Lexical transference Phonological transference communicative competence Conclusions about the children's accuracy Measuring degree of bilingualism 8. Biliteracy 9. How the Children View Bilingualism The children's attitudes to their to languages The children and language and languages 10. Other Aids to the Development of Bilingualism Books Records and cassettes Radio and television Games Outings Shops, restaurants, etc Ethnic schools and playgrounds Visits to and from the linguistic homeland Correspondence Language maintenance for parents 11. Conclusions Notes References Index
0905028112 (pbk)
Bilingualism--Second language learners. Bilingualism--Family. Bilingualism--Storytelling. Language learning--Proficiency.