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Raising a Bilingual Child
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If you would like your children to experience the benefits of becoming bilingual, but you aren’t sure how to teach them a second language, then Raising a Bilingual Child is the perfect step-by-step guide for you.
Raising a Bilingual Child provides parents with information, encouragement, and practical advice for creating a positive bilingual environment. It offers both an o ...more
Raising a Bilingual Child provides parents with information, encouragement, and practical advice for creating a positive bilingual environment. It offers both an o ...more
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Paperback, 368 pages
Published
April 15th 2008
by Living Language
(first published January 1st 2008)
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If may be unfair of me to give this book 2 stars--I did enjoy learning about how babies learn language. It is well-written and (too) well researched. In fact, it is too bogged down by minute details of studies explaining what you probably already knew if you picked up the book: your child will greatly benefit from learning another language--in any manner, in any amount, at any time. Not to give it all away, but to save you some more time: any is good, but earlier, more consistently, and more of
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Very informative read on the actual process of language learning - as a child or otherwise. The information and strategies are well supported by research and illustrated by a large amount of case studies. In fact, the one star deduction is based on the fact that I lost interest a few times due to the listing of case studies, although I'm sure they can be of great interest to someone else.
I like the fact that the research was applicable to other situations outside the US although most examples a ...more
I like the fact that the research was applicable to other situations outside the US although most examples a ...more
This was packed with research-based information about bilingualism in children. It was extremely interesting, though quite dense at times. While not exactly a how-to guide, it does provide a lot of guidance about how to help children learn multiple languages.
It's overwhelmingly positive about childhood bilingualism. ...more
It's overwhelmingly positive about childhood bilingualism. ...more
A science-based book on bilingualism. Lots of information.
Great book, evidence based and through, answers most if not all questions I had about bilingual upbringing.
Useful and enjoyable although it’s not practical
Skip the linguistic theories and conceptual background and jump into the case studies.
This books contains several case studies (across many years) of over twenty families trying to teach their children two (or more) languages. It talks about different methods, strategies, resources, and even problems present in this endeavor. It definitely made me think more realistically about what you can and cannot obtain by teaching your children a minority language in a foreign country. It also made me aware of the difference between language and culture that sometimes is so subtle. In a nut
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This book was excellent, informative and very readable--much more so than I expected. In a nutshell, the author outlines 4 strategies for raising a bilingual child:
1. One person, one language
2. Minority language at home
3. Time and place
4. I forget the proper name for this one, but I call it wherever, whenever
She opined that strategies 1-3 are fairly equal in terms of results, but that 4 does not work very well in the US. She condensed a lot of research into about 200 pages and gave many practica ...more
1. One person, one language
2. Minority language at home
3. Time and place
4. I forget the proper name for this one, but I call it wherever, whenever
She opined that strategies 1-3 are fairly equal in terms of results, but that 4 does not work very well in the US. She condensed a lot of research into about 200 pages and gave many practica ...more
Altough I decided not to raise my child bilingual I read this book before I was even trying to get pregnant. I am very interested in all related to language acquisition, cultural or child related.
The book is easy to be read, the content is well organized. The author explores not only methods to expose the child to both languages, but also explores research literature in adequate depth.
For those who are interested in raising bilingual children I recommend. Also for those who are just curious abo ...more
The book is easy to be read, the content is well organized. The author explores not only methods to expose the child to both languages, but also explores research literature in adequate depth.
For those who are interested in raising bilingual children I recommend. Also for those who are just curious abo ...more
This book contains a lot of extremely interesting information on first language acquisition and a lot of data from actual research on bilingual upbringing.
It also contains a brief but exhaustive explanation of the most common strategies to raise children bilingually (OPOL, minority language @ home, time and place, etc) and a series of exemplifying case studies about families who employed them.
A bit more theory heavy than other books I've read on this topic but, at least to me, this was actuall ...more
It also contains a brief but exhaustive explanation of the most common strategies to raise children bilingually (OPOL, minority language @ home, time and place, etc) and a series of exemplifying case studies about families who employed them.
A bit more theory heavy than other books I've read on this topic but, at least to me, this was actuall ...more
Naomi Steiner's book was so much better but for different reasons. I felt like this book was a textbook. It was so detailed, which as a graduate student, I can appreciate but it just wasn't what I was looking for and I can't picture the average parent getting much out of it. The studies were very well researched and I am sure some college professors use this book - they should! So depending on what you want from a book will depend if you like this one imo...
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Fascinating, digestible presentation of case studies of childhood language acquisition in bi- / multi-lingual families.
I appreciated that the various theories on raising a bilingual child are backed by studies, and that the author does not promote one method over another. She makes it clear that there are various ways of having a child learn a 2nd, 3rd, etc, language, and that it should be tailored to the family, the child and the life setting.
I appreciated that the various theories on raising a bilingual child are backed by studies, and that the author does not promote one method over another. She makes it clear that there are various ways of having a child learn a 2nd, 3rd, etc, language, and that it should be tailored to the family, the child and the life setting.
This is a great resource for information on the benefits of raising your children to be bilingual. I didn't finish it because I had to return it to the library, and it just makes me depressed that I realize how hard it is to raise a bilingual child as a monolingual. I may finish it if we ever gain easier access to other languages for our kids.
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It's taken me forever to finish the book because it's full of information that I find a little unnecessary and excessive. I hope I can soon get to the part where I get ideas and techniques I can use to actually teach my daughter how to speak a second language
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This is the most scientific "bilingual child" book I've read (and I've read a few). A lot of bilingual child books are light on citable evidence but heavy on anecdote and platitude, but this one supports its points with actual studies.
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The subtitle for this book is a step-by-step guide. A better subtitle would be ms. pearson's dissertation. I had to hunt through the book to find anything practical. My expectations were set from the beginning for a useful guide, but I didn't find anything of the sort.
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Some topics are not explored in enough depth, but the book is a good introduction to the subject. It may be sufficient for the needs of most parents. Further reading is suggested for each chapter and I plan to do that when I can...
If you know a minimum about child language acquisition it's pretty boring. If not and you're curious about it, go for it... it's kind of like "how to teach your kid a second language for dummies" with some statistics.
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Filled with very important information for parents who want to raise their child bilingual. Why learning multiple languages is important. The best window of tome for learning a second language. When and how to start etc...
An amazing resource for anyone even slightly curious about raising bilingual children. Anything and everything from when do I start to how to now over-do-it.
If you debating whether or not to raise your child in a bilingual home, this is a great book. However, if you have already made the decision, it may not be as helpful.
Quite basic and superficial.
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“Many people, especially in countries like the U.S. with a monolingual mainstream culture, think that being monolingual is the most natural way to grow up. In fact, far from being the norm, monolingualism is the exception. There are very few, if any, places in the world where a society can exist in complete isolation from contact and interaction with people of other cultures.”
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“how bilingualism has been shown to benefit • bilingual children’s precocious knowledge of language, • their enhanced cognitive development in general, and • the social and cultural growth they experience.”
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