Growing Up with Two Languages

Una Cunningham is Professor of English Language Education at Stockholm University, Sweden. She has worked in language education in Sweden, Spain, Vietnam, Poland and New Zealand. She and her husband, Staffan Andersson, raised their four children to speak English and Swedish in Sweden.

Every family with two languages should have this book!Stephen Ryan, The Bilingual Family NewsletterThis is a truly valuable book for anyone living in a multilingual situation. Drawing on her own experience and on research, Una Cunningham addresses the questions that parents, teachers, and others may have about what’s best for children living multilingual lives. While the adults will welcome this book, its real value is in showing how we can enrich the lives of children growing up with two or more languages. John Macalister, Victoria University of Wellington, New ZealandBased on sound research and personal experience, this book answers questions crucial for parents and educators embarking on a fascinating journey towards bilingual upbringing. Combining theory and practice, the book offers guidelines for practitioners as well as insights for students and researchers. Ewa Waniek-Klimczak, University of Łódź, PolandUna Cunningham shows to everyone who deals with bilingual children an intriguing but also clear path to successful bilingualism. Read this book - it will definitely support you in various situations.Natalia Gagarina, Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics (ZAS), GermanyPraise for the first edition: 'A well-written and comprehensible guidebook ... offers readers the basic concepts of bilingualism and practical suggestions for the problems that naturally arise in everyday life.' - International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism'A book like this is decades overdue. ... Growing Up with Two Languages is an excellent guide for working through day-to-day issues of bilingual parenting and long-term strategies for dealing with such fundamental issues as children's cultural identity and social comfort.' - Naomi S. Baron, American University, Washington'Every family with two languages should have this book!' - Stephen Ryan, The Bilingual Family Newsletter'It's wonderful that this excellent resource for multilingual families has been updated. The original edition sits on a shelf at home with other well-worn companions of my early childrearing days, and I find it somehow comforting to know that the authors' children have - like my own sons - grown older, giving their parents not only new insights, but a renewed conviction that the multilingual path they chose for their family was the right one.' - Marina Zvetina, Board member, ImF - Interest Group for Multilingual Families in Germany

• Preface Acknowledgements 1 Families with more than one language 2 Expecting a child in a multilingual home 3 The child with two or more languages 4 Family language policy 5 Practical parenting in a multilingual home 6 Problems you may encounter 7 Raising a child to speak an endangered or indigenous language 8 Teachers and educational contexts 9 Healthcare and other professionals 10 Research and further reading Concluding words Glossary Bibliography Index