| Acknowledgements |
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xi | |
| An Introduction to the Second Edition |
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xiii | |
| Introduction |
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xv | |
| Section A: Family Questions |
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What are the advantages of my child becoming bilingual? |
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1 | (4) |
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Are some families better placed than others to produce bilingual children? |
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5 | (3) |
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Is the mother more important than the father in the child's language development? |
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8 | (1) |
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What happens if parents don't agree that their children should become bilingual? |
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9 | (1) |
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If we raise our child to be bilingual, will it affect our marriage? |
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10 | (1) |
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What happens if grandparents and the extended family disapprove of bilingualism? |
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11 | (2) |
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I'm a one-parent family. How can I raise my child bilingually? |
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13 | (1) |
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Neither of us speaks a second language. How can we help our child become bilingual? |
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14 | (1) |
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My children get little practice in speaking one of their languages outside the family. What should I do? |
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15 | (1) |
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When watching television, should my child be encouraged to listen to one language or both languages? |
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16 | (1) |
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My children can speak two languages. how can I help them belong to two cultures? |
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17 | (1) |
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How important is it that the child's two languages are practiced and supported outside the home? |
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18 | (1) |
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What kind of community support is valuable for bilingualism? |
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19 | (1) |
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My neighbors think we should integrate more which means using a different language from the home. Should we keep separate or integrate? |
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19 | (1) |
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Can I learn a second language alongside my child? |
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20 | (1) |
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We have just moved to a different country. Should we speak the host country's language in the home to help our children? |
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21 | (1) |
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What should our language strategy be with an adopted child? |
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22 | (4) |
| Section B: Language Development Questions |
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What are the most important factors in raising a bilingual child? |
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26 | (1) |
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Do some children find it easier than others to become bilingual? |
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27 | (2) |
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Is it easier to become bilingual as a young child? |
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29 | (1) |
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How early do bilingual children recognize that they have two languages? |
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30 | (1) |
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Is it better for my child to learn a language early to secure better storage in the brain? |
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31 | (1) |
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Will my child become equally fluent in two languages? |
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32 | (2) |
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Is it better to develop two languages together or one language later than the other? |
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34 | (1) |
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How do I know my child's language development in each language is normal and acceptable? |
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35 | (2) |
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Will learning a second language interfere with development in the first language? |
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37 | (2) |
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Are there any benefits if my child has a less well developed second language? |
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39 | (1) |
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What effect will bilingualism have on my child's intelligence? |
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39 | (4) |
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I want my children to be successful. Should I concentrate on developing their first/majority language skills? |
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43 | (1) |
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Should my child keep the two languages separate in different situations and with different people (e.g. visitors)? |
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44 | (3) |
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Should my child use two languages with the same person? |
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47 | (1) |
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Will my child's attitudes affect the learning of a second language? |
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48 | (1) |
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Is it sensible to raise my child in three languages? |
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49 | (1) |
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Do girls and boys differ in their progress towards bilingualism and biliteracy? |
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50 | (1) |
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Are first-borns different to later-borns in developing bilingualism? |
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51 | (1) |
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Does switching between languages have any value or purpose? |
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52 | (1) |
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When will my bilingual child be able to interpret and translate from one language to another? |
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53 | (2) |
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How much will experience of majority language mass media affect the development of bilingualism in my child? |
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55 | (2) |
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Can music and drama help my child's bilingual development? |
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57 | (1) |
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Will computers and Information Technology affect my child's bilingualism? |
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58 | (1) |
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How important are employment prospects to preserve my child's languages into adulthood? |
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58 | (1) |
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I need to change the language(s) I've used with my children. How will it affect them? |
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59 | (2) |
| Section C: Questions About Problems |
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What are the disadvantages of my child becoming bilingual? |
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61 | (2) |
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My child mixes the two languages. What should I do? |
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63 | (1) |
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My child refuses to use one of his/her languages. What should I do? |
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64 | (1) |
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My teenage child is speaking the majority language more and more. What can I do? |
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65 | (1) |
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Will my child learn two languages only half as well as a monolingual child? |
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66 | (1) |
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Will my child's thinking be affected by being bilingual? |
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66 | (2) |
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Does bilingualism have an effect on the functioning of the brain? |
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68 | (1) |
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Will my bilingual children have a problem of identity with two different cultures? |
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69 | (4) |
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Will bilingualism have any adverse effect on my child's personality? |
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73 | (1) |
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Will bilingualism have any adverse effect on my child's friendships and social development? |
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74 | (1) |
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The balance of my child's two languages seems to be shifting. How can I ensure one language doesn't disappear? |
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75 | (1) |
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My child seems to have learning difficulties. Is this due to bilingualism? |
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76 | (2) |
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My child seems to have an emotional/behavioral problem. Is this caused by bilingualism? |
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78 | (1) |
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My child has a specific diagnosed problem (e.g. learning difficulty, language disorder, emotional problem). Should we change to speaking one language to the child rather than two languages? What language should I speak to my child? |
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78 | (3) |
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My child stutters. Is this caused by bilingualism? |
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81 | (2) |
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People make fun of our speaking a minority language. How should I react? |
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83 | (1) |
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People around me are prejudiced and racist. Should we as a family switch to speaking only the majority language? |
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84 | (1) |
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I'm a recent in-migrant to a country. Should I stop speaking my native language and switch to the first language of that country? |
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85 | (1) |
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My second language is not perfect. Should I speak it to my child? |
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86 | (1) |
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A local professional (e.g. a doctor, psychologist, speech therapist, teacher) advised me against bilingualism. Is this correct? |
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87 | (1) |
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Do teenagers suffer or gain if their parents come from different language and cultural backgrounds (mixed language marriages)? |
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87 | (2) |
| Section D: Reading and Writing Questions |
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Should my child learn to read in one language first? |
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89 | (2) |
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Will learning to read in a second language interfere with reading in the first language? |
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91 | (1) |
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If the two languages have different scripts, will learning to read and write be a problem? |
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92 | (1) |
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When should a child begin to read in a second language? |
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93 | (1) |
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How should I help my child to read and write in both languages? |
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93 | (4) |
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Which approach to teaching reading works best? The 'look and say', 'phonics', 'whole language' or what approach? |
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97 | (3) |
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Should I buy books for my child to read that contain two languages or just one language? |
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100 | (1) |
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How can I locate books for my child to read in each language? |
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100 | (1) |
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Will my child find it hard to write in two different languages? |
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100 | (1) |
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My child seems slow in learning to read. Is this due to bilingualism? |
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101 | (1) |
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My child has problems with spelling. Is this due to bilingualism? |
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101 | (2) |
| Section E: Education Questions |
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Basic Education Questions |
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How can a nursery school support children's bilingualism? |
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103 | (1) |
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Should my child go to a bilingual school? |
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104 | (3) |
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What should I look out for in choosing a school for my bilingual child? |
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107 | (1) |
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Should my child be taught bilingually in the primary school but not in the secondary school? |
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108 | (2) |
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Should older children not be placed in bilingual education? |
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110 | (2) |
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Is there a 'critical age' when children shouldn't be moved to a school with a different language pattern in the curriculum? |
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112 | (1) |
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My children can hold a conversation in a second language. Is that sufficient for them to be taught in that language at school? |
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113 | (1) |
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My child is learning through a second language at school. Should we change our language pattern at home? |
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114 | (1) |
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How easy or difficult will it be for my children to find a job if they are bilingual? |
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115 | (1) |
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Types of Bilingual Education |
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What types of bilingual education exist? |
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116 | (1) |
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What are Dual Language schools? |
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117 | (5) |
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What are International Schools? |
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122 | (2) |
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What is the European Schools Movement? |
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124 | (3) |
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What is Heritage Language Bilingual Education? |
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127 | (2) |
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What is Transitional Bilingual Education? |
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129 | (1) |
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What is 'immersion bilingual education'? |
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130 | (5) |
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What are the main classroom features of successful immersion programs? |
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135 | (2) |
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What language strategies are used in immersion classrooms? |
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137 | (3) |
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What is a Withdrawal class for extra language support? |
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140 | (2) |
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What kind of education should I give my child if we regularly move to different countries? |
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142 | (1) |
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What are Saturday Schools and Voluntary Schools outside regular school hours, and how valuable are they in the development of a minority or second language? |
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143 | (1) |
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Achievement and Underachievement Questions |
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Will my child's performance in school be affected by being bilingual? |
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144 | (2) |
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Are there positive effects of learning through the medium of two languages? |
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146 | (1) |
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My child is learning through a new language. Will this affect attainment at school? |
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146 | (1) |
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My child's school teaches through the minority language. Will this affect my child's development in the majority language? |
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147 | (1) |
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Speakers of our home language are often poor and unemployed. Should we ensure our child is educated in the majority language to aid employment prospects? |
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148 | (1) |
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My child seems to be underachieving at school. Is this because of bilingualism? |
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149 | (3) |
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Should my child be placed in a Bilingual Special Education Program? |
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152 | (4) |
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My child is suffering in school because other children tease him/her about speaking another language. What can I do? |
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156 | (1) |
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Language in the Classroom |
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Will my child be able to learn a new language thoroughly in the school system? |
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157 | (1) |
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How should two languages be distributed in a bilingual classroom? |
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158 | (2) |
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Should Science and Mathematics be taught in an international language such as English? |
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160 | (1) |
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My child's school doesn't support bilingualism and there is no bilingual school nearby. What should I do? |
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161 | (2) |
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Which language should be used to test/assess/counsel a bilingual child? What should be the nature of such assessment? |
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163 | (3) |
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Are teachers trained to help bilingual children? |
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166 | (1) |
| Section F: Concluding Questions |
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The economy and politics of the world is changing. Is there a future for bilingualism? |
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167 | (2) |
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Why is it important for minority languages to survive in the future? |
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169 | (3) |
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Are monolinguals more common than bilinguals in the world? |
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172 | (2) |
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Is bilingualism a natural right of any individual? |
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174 | (1) |
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Does my child have a right to bilingual education? (e.g. in law, a natural right)? |
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175 | (3) |
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Language is an important part of our religion. Should my child learn a second language for this purpose? |
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178 | (1) |
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I use a particular dialect/a Creole/a pidgin language in the home. Is your advice about raising a bilingual child different or similar? |
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179 | (1) |
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I have a deaf child. Is your advice about raising a bilingual child different or similar? |
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180 | (3) |
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People talk about diglossia. What does it mean? |
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183 | (3) |
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Books on child care and child development warn me against bilingualism. How should I react? |
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186 | (1) |
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How do I contact other parents in a similar situation? |
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186 | (1) |
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Is the Internet going to affect my child's bilingualism? |
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187 | (2) |
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How do I find out more information about bilingualism? |
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189 | (3) |
| Epilogue |
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192 | (1) |
| Glossary |
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193 | (24) |
| Index |
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217 | |
