Immigration and Bilingual Education: A Case Study of Movement of Population, Language Change and Education in the Eec

Language Teaching Methodology

by Arturo Tosi

It has been estimated that in the year 2000 one third of the young population - those under thirty-five - in urban Europe will have an immigrant background. There can be no doubt that the future of Europe largely depends upon how these groups - which today we call 'minorities' - are treated socially and educationally by the indigenous population.

Language, one of the primary tools for discovering the process involved in socialisation, has long attracted the attention of scholars concerned with the cultural adjustment of these 'minorities' and the educational needs of their children. In Europe, as in America, interest has recently concentrated on the question of their language loyalty and maintenance, while, at the same time, much concern has arisen regarding the reforms necessary to provide new generations with an improved introduction to the 'majority' culture, its language and its environment.

Two fields of enquiry have emerged, known as 'societal bilingualism' and 'bilingual education'. The former refers to language attitudes and use on the part of the immigrants and the changes undergone in the new environment. The latter concentrates on the educational measures required to overcome monolingual schooling in the 'majority' languages and to create better learning opportunities for 'minority' children. The aim of the present book is not to make any further contribution to either of these fields, but, rather, to investigate the relationship between them.

199 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1984