Maintaining Three Languages

Xiao-lei Wang is Professor and Acting Dean of the School of Education at Pace University, USA. She is the author of Growing up with Three Languages: Birth to Eleven (Multilingual Matters, 2008) and Learning to Read and Write in the Multilingual Family (Multilingual Matters, 2011). She is a regular speaker on child development and parenting at local, national and international parents’ associations and academic conferences.

Xiao-lei Wang is our own personal tour guide on the journey of raising multilingual children during their adolescent years. She shows us that it is possible for our children’s multilingualism to not only thrive during these years, but to grow and develop into an even richer linguistic and cultural tapestry. This book is more than a study of one family’s experiences raising multilingual teenagers. It is a road-map, backed by research and common sense, filled with specific tips, suggestions and insights which we can use to further our own family’s multilingualism. It is a joy to read and will leave you feeling more empowered in your ability to continue raising your children multilingually during a time when they may be eager to spread their wings and fly.

• Chapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Heritage-Language Maintenance and Multilingual Development in the Teenage YearsChapter 3. Multilingual Sound System Development During AdolescenceChapter 4. Multilingual Word and Meaning Development During AdolescenceChapter 5. Multilingual Word- and Sentence-Structure Development During AdolescenceChapter 6. The Development of Multilingual Knowledge and Usage During AdolescenceChapter 7. Multilingual Literacies Development During AdolescenceChapter 8. Developing Multiple Identities During AdolescenceChapter 9. Multilingual Childrearing and Family WelfareChapter 10. Pulling It Together: Concluding ThoughtsAppendix: Examples of Standardized Language AssessmentsGlossary