Raising Multilingual Children: Foreign Language Acquisition and Children

(Hardback)

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Raising Multilingual Children: Foreign Language Acquisition and Children elucidates how children learn foreign languages and when they can do so with the best results. The most recent studies in linguistics, neurology, education, and psychology are evaluated and the findings are presented in a recipe format. Parents and teachers are encouraged to bake their own and evaluate the multilingual children in their lives with the use of tools which include a family language profile and family language goals worksheet. Beginning with the Ingredients of Timing, (or the Windows of Opportunity,) and Aptitude, the book goes on to include the Baking Instructions of Motivation, Strategy, and Consistency. This is followed by Kitchen Design, or the role of the language learning environment which includes the child's Opportunity to use the languages being learned, the Linguistic Relationship between the child's languages, and the possible influence of Siblings. Plumbing and Electricity round out the ten key factors in raising multilingual children by discussing the possible role of Gender and Hand-Use, and our understanding of the multilingual brain at present. Chef and Chef's Assistants addresses the vital roles of teachers and schools in a child's foreign language development. A Mess in the Kitchen discusses problem situations related to foreign language learning, and offers a variety of resources to address such issues.

Reviews

"An excellent resource for any family wishing to develop an individual approach to multiple language acquisition.... This book is a valuable source of information and strategies for international school parents and teachers."-Silke Vannatter Coordinator, Learning Support International School of Geneva
"Having myself raised three children in a polyglot situation and being often puzzled by contradicting advice, I would have enjoyed having a book like this much earlier. This book may be a guide through difficult times and answer questions about how, when and what to do about language education.... A real tool to help understand the construction of language and to work out a personalized program adapted to every case."-Beatte Broadhurst Teacher
"Raising Multilingual Children is a brilliantly written introduction to the possibilities of promoting children's language skills in the family, especially in multilingual settings. This book can be warmly recommended as being one of the rare examples of concrete, well-structured help for parents, teachers, and caregivers who are facing the challenge of encouraging bilingual and multilingual development in real life.' It is particularly valuable and convincing because it blends sound knowledge about the psychological, linguistic, and social dimensions of language learning, reflexive personal experience, with a refreshing and enthusiastic approach to the issues. All this is presented in a witty style, so mouth-watering that hardly any reader will resist trying out the concept."-Cristina Allemann-Ghionda Professor of Education University of Cologne, Germany
"This book, whilst entertaining to read, is not just another opinion on the subject. It provides a comprehensive guideline backed up with scientifically proven data, yet leaving plenty of room for individual development."-Marlene Hall-Amsler Translator
"Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa has provided parents and caregivers an engaging encounter with the complex, but laudable enterprise of facilitating language acquisition in children. This text is an exciting addition to the library of homes raising children equipped to live in our multicultural world."-Terry A. Osborn Co-director, Foreign Language Education Department of Secondary Education and Youth Services Queens College, City University of New York

Author Bio

TRACEY TOKUHAMA-ESPINOSA is a native of California who received her Master's of Education at Harvard University and has taught in international schools in Japan, Ecuador, France and Ecuador. She is currently Professor of Education, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences at the University of San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. Tracey has given numerous workshops on raising multilingual children to schools and families in Australia, Norway, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Ecuador and England. She speaks and writes in English and Spanish fluently, knows conversational French, some Japanese, and is studying basic German. She and her husband are raising their three children in four languages.