Some Final Words of Wisdom...

Let yourself be intrigued and inspired by the these words from the
Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education by Colin Baker and Sylvia Prys Jones!

A Child’s Language Development

A child’s language development depends on many factors: the amount and quality of exposure to the language at home, in school, in the community, on the mass media, for example. If the child’s contact with the language is minimal, or confined to the home, the child will not achieve the same level of competence as monolingual peers. The child may not progress much beyond understanding the language, what is termed passive or receptive bilingualism. However, it is important not to view bilingualism in terms of ‘success’ or ‘failure’, ‘all’ or ‘nothing’. Any degree of bilingualism can be a valuable asset, and competence in a language may increase with greater exposure to a language. (Page 43).

Language Learning

Studies have shown that , because of their superior ability to analyze and process information, older children and adults often learn language more efficiently than young children. However, for adults, lack of motivation and lack of time can be a problem. Psychological factors such as shyness, self-consciousness or negative attitudes towards the target language can hinder or obstruct learning. Older children and adults are used to espressing complex thoughts and abstract concepts in their first language. They are often frustrated at their inability to achieve this in the target language. If second language learning takes place in a classroom environment, it is not always easy for a second language teacher to present the target language in a way that is relevant and authentic.
For these reasons, there is increasing awareness of the value of introducting second and third languages to children at an early age. The world of a small child is simple and concrete. The child’s language needs are simple and are linked to everyday activiteis, familiar people and objects, and happenings that affect the child directly. A second language can also be acuired quite naturally and incidentally during day-to-day activies and in interaction with other people. An effective way of teaching a second language to a child is to use the language with the child in daily living, while eating, drivinking, playing with toys, singing, telling stories, painting, gardening, cooking, shopping and so on. (Page 491).

Multiculturalism vs. Assimilation

In England and the United States, movements towards multiculturalism have not tended to receive an official blessing nor encouragement. Rather, the assimilationist viewpoint has continued. In contrast, in parts of Canada, Scandinavia and New Zealand for example, a more multicultural approach has been taken, but with much dispute and debate.
The difference between assimilationists and multiculturalists is rooted in basic human needs and motives. The movement towards assimilation or heritage cultural maintenance is likely to be affected by the economic reward system. Both assimilation and heritage cultural maintenance can be promoted by the need to earn a living and the desire to acquire or increase affluence. Assmilation may be chosen to secure a job, to be vocationally successful and to achieve affluence. The minority language and culture may be left behind in order to prosper in the majority language community. At the same time, language planning can be used to ensure that there are jobs and promition within the minority language community. (Page 300).

The Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, can be ordered from Multilingual Matters directly: www.multilingualmatters.com

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