The Cross-Linguistic Study of Bilingual Development (original) (raw)

Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World

2015

Bilingualism has given rise to significant political, linguistic, and social changes in Spanish-speaking countries. In the United States, the increasing importance of Spanish has engendered an English-only Movement; in Peru, contact between Spanish and Quechua has brought about language change; and in Iberia, speakers of Basque, Galician, and Catalan have made their languages a compulsory part of school curricula and local government. This book provides an introduction to bilingualism in the Spanish-speaking world, looking at topics such as language contact, bilingual societies, bilingualism in schools, code-switching, language transfer, the emergence of new varieties of Spanish, and language choice-and how all of these phenomena affect the linguistic and cognitive development of the speaker. Using examples and case studies drawn primarily from Spanish-English bilinguals in the US, Spanish-Quechua bilinguals in Peru, and Spanish-Basque bilinguals in Spain, it provides diverse perspectives on the experience of being bilingual in distinct cultural, political, and socioeconomic contexts.

What Languages Do Bilingual Children Use with Whom? Research Evidence and Implications for Education

1975

There is wide variability in the type and degree of bilingualism exhibited by persons from the various Spanish-speaking groups in the USA. Within particular .subcultural groups, there is significant variability algorig individuals in the use of language patterns. An empirical)s-eudy inystiga';ed the use of language pattern in specified social contextsiamong,two generations in three distinct Spanish-speaking groups: Ne4York 1?uerto Ricans, Central Texas Mexican-Americans, and Miami CubNI-Americans. A total of 295 families participated in the study. The Central Texas Mexican-Americans showed the greatest degree of displacement of Spanish by English as well as by "Spanglish," and the New York Puerto Ricans the greatest degree of "mother tongue" maintenance. Previous research suggests that language use are positively related. Contextual language use is an important factor which interacts with language learning and with academic achievement. It behooves teachers of persons from Spanish-speaking backgrounds to assess the language proficiency and the contextual use of language patterns of their students and to gear their curriculum accordingly. Contextual language use may be assessed by teachers through interviews and by behavioral observations, and the resulting data may be used to individualize instruction. (Author/CLK)

Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World: Linguistic and Cognitive Perspectives

2015

Bilingualism has given rise to significant political, linguistic, and social changes in Spanish-speaking countries. In the United States, the increasing importance of Spanish has engendered an English-only Movement; in Peru, contact between Spanish and Quechua has brought about language change; and in Iberia, speakers of Basque, Galician, and Catalan have made their languages a compulsory part of school curricula and local government. This book provides an introduction to bilingualism in the Spanish-speaking world, looking at topics such as language contact, bilingual societies, bilingualism in schools, code-switching, language transfer, the emergence of new varieties of Spanish, and language choice-and how all of these phenomena affect the linguistic and cognitive development of the speaker. Using examples and case studies drawn primarily from Spanish-English bilinguals in the US, Spanish-Quechua bilinguals in Peru, and Spanish-Basque bilinguals in Spain, it provides diverse perspectives on the experience of being bilingual in distinct cultural, political, and socioeconomic contexts.