Bilingualism [antikvár]

PrefaceThe present volume brings together some of the historical developments, theoretical controversies, and major research findings, as well as applications, from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, linguistics, and education as they relate to the diverse problems and benefits of bilingualism. Developments from each of these disciplines are brought to bear on the important question of what effect bilingualism may have on the individual language user and on the society in which he lives. The central focus of the volume is not, however, to judge whether bilingualism is in itself a beneficial or detrimental phenomenon. Rather, granting the fact that bilingualism is and will undoubtably continue to be a fact of life for the majority of the world's population, it was our goal to try to determine which characteristics of the bilingual setting lead to its being viewed as a source of enrichment and diversity, and hence to be encouraged, rather than as a source of confusion, conflict, and frustration.Children throughout the world are educated in second and sometimes third languages, political and educational leaders must make and revise language policy decisions, and individuals often choose or are compelled to incorporate a second language into their repertoire. Although bilingualism has thus for many years been both a fact of life and an explosive political issue in many societies throughout the world, multidisciplinary efforts to study its effects systematically are quite new. Recently, however, changing social values as well as federal legislation in both the United States and Canada have led to an increased awareness of the need to better understand the implications of this complex phenomenon on the part of many components of our society.Considerations of this type should be of interest to readers involved in the study of language from the disciplines of sociology, psychology, linguistics, and education, as well as the general reader whose interests include gaining a better understanding of major social and psychological influences. More specifically, persons interested in bilingual education and research, language planning and policy decisions, the structure and behavior of minority and immigrant populations, as well as the analysis of sociopolitical structures should find much of interest and value. It