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An Introduction to Bilingual Development
Increasingly, children grow up hearing two languages from birth. This introductory textbook shows how children learn to understand and speak those languages against the backdrop of their language learning environments. A narrative around the bilingual development of four young children with different language profiles helps to explain the latest research findings in a lively and accessible manner. The narrative describes how bilingually raised children learn to understand and use sounds, words and sentences in two languages, and how they are able to use each of their languages in socially appropriate ways. Positive attitudes towards bilingual development from the people in bilingual children's environments and their recognition that child bilingualism is not monolingualism-times-two are the main ingredients ensuring that children grow up to be happy and expert speakers of two languages.
104 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 5, 2021
I feel like this review may be a bit unfair, mainly due to my expectations and what I was hoping to gain from the book- so take it for what it is worth. The book is very short and has some gems of information. But for the most part, if you have any prior knowledge or would like something more extensive you will be disappointed. However, if you have never learned anything about bilingual development or are pressed for time and would like a short read, then perhaps this is the book for you.
I feel that this may be a bit harsh, as it isn't as if the author is not an expert in this domain. De Houwer's other books from all accounts are much more comprehensive (this was the only book available by Annick De Houwer at my library, hence why I have only read this one and not others). As is Raising a Bilingual Child by Barbara Zurer Pearson, which was my first introduction, which also references Annick De Houwer's work. But the book only discussed bilingual first language acquisition, and no other early language learning. Nor does it offer much guidance to parents on how to improve or safeguard their child's bilingual acquisition, especially the minority or the non-community language. It offers interesting changes in development based on the environment, but no explanations as to why they might occur. I would have preferred more information on the "why's" of development and how to foster it. In particular, I was interested if a non-native speaker parent should try to speak the minority language (language alpha in this book) to increase the frequency of exposure, or if that can risk some of the development by creating a breeding ground for grammatical errors, accent development, or increased mixed utterances, etc.
Anyway, this book is short and concise; if that is what you are looking for, happy reading.
Anyway, if you would like a short introduction this may be perfect. But if you are looking for something more comprehensive look elsewhere.
I feel that this may be a bit harsh, as it isn't as if the author is not an expert in this domain. De Houwer's other books from all accounts are much more comprehensive (this was the only book available by Annick De Houwer at my library, hence why I have only read this one and not others). As is Raising a Bilingual Child by Barbara Zurer Pearson, which was my first introduction, which also references Annick De Houwer's work. But the book only discussed bilingual first language acquisition, and no other early language learning. Nor does it offer much guidance to parents on how to improve or safeguard their child's bilingual acquisition, especially the minority or the non-community language. It offers interesting changes in development based on the environment, but no explanations as to why they might occur. I would have preferred more information on the "why's" of development and how to foster it. In particular, I was interested if a non-native speaker parent should try to speak the minority language (language alpha in this book) to increase the frequency of exposure, or if that can risk some of the development by creating a breeding ground for grammatical errors, accent development, or increased mixed utterances, etc.
Anyway, this book is short and concise; if that is what you are looking for, happy reading.
Anyway, if you would like a short introduction this may be perfect. But if you are looking for something more comprehensive look elsewhere.
July 30, 2022
A good overview of the literature on bilingual development. I read it over 2 days of traveling and made many notes.
I did order it online and was dissapointed with how few pages the book had for its price. I guess that this would have been avoided, had I looked at it first.
I did order it online and was dissapointed with how few pages the book had for its price. I guess that this would have been avoided, had I looked at it first.
February 8, 2026
Read for grad school.
May 26, 2013
I decided to read this book after a presentation about the same topic, bilingual children, in which not only this book but others were cited.
After reading it, I'm a bit disappointed. First of all, this is not a book for (concerned) parents. This I'd a book for a classroom. There is no advice for parenting at all in the book, which focused in four, I suppose, typical cases or environments apparently based on real cases which however have been idealised to facilitate the explanation of the four scenarios.
The only more or less practical advice a parent can get from the book comes from the outcome of a case if it happens to be similar to his one, so that the outcome can be predicted. However there is no guidance how to try to modify the embodiment so that the final outcome will be the desired, that it, that the kid develops bilingually.
As an account of possible situations and eye-opener about the topic, the book is good if you never read or heard anything about the issue, but any basic presentation will do the same job.
Good thing is, however, that the book is not so big, so you can read only the initial two to the chapters to get an idea of the for cases contemplated, as every chapter just discussed the same for idealised kids as they grow older but just by saying what happens to them but without analysing the causes or given any advice how to avoid undesired situations, and then jump to chapter six wherein some conclusions are drawn and the only thing resembling advice is given.
Important point is that the book revolves around BFLA kids, that means, bilingual first language acquisition, or children who from birth are exposed to more than one language and not to ESLA kids, who are the ones who are born in a family with only one language but are exposed to a second language after a few months, which is called Earlier Second Language Acquisition. However, the few advice that you can infer from the book shall also apply to this particular.
After reading it, I'm a bit disappointed. First of all, this is not a book for (concerned) parents. This I'd a book for a classroom. There is no advice for parenting at all in the book, which focused in four, I suppose, typical cases or environments apparently based on real cases which however have been idealised to facilitate the explanation of the four scenarios.
The only more or less practical advice a parent can get from the book comes from the outcome of a case if it happens to be similar to his one, so that the outcome can be predicted. However there is no guidance how to try to modify the embodiment so that the final outcome will be the desired, that it, that the kid develops bilingually.
As an account of possible situations and eye-opener about the topic, the book is good if you never read or heard anything about the issue, but any basic presentation will do the same job.
Good thing is, however, that the book is not so big, so you can read only the initial two to the chapters to get an idea of the for cases contemplated, as every chapter just discussed the same for idealised kids as they grow older but just by saying what happens to them but without analysing the causes or given any advice how to avoid undesired situations, and then jump to chapter six wherein some conclusions are drawn and the only thing resembling advice is given.
Important point is that the book revolves around BFLA kids, that means, bilingual first language acquisition, or children who from birth are exposed to more than one language and not to ESLA kids, who are the ones who are born in a family with only one language but are exposed to a second language after a few months, which is called Earlier Second Language Acquisition. However, the few advice that you can infer from the book shall also apply to this particular.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews