Portrait of the Young in the New Multilingual Spain

Carmen Pérez Vidal received her MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Reading, UK, and her PhD in English linguistics from the University of Barcelona (Spain). She is Associate Professor in English Linguistics and Language Acquisition at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain), where she is Vicerector of Languages and coordinator of the ALLENCAM and SALA projects. Her research interests and recent publications deal with bilingual, second and foreign language acquisition in different contexts of learning: natural, formal, immersion and stay abroad. She has specialised in writing and the age factor, content and language integrated learning and input effects.Maria Juan-Garau is Associate Professor in English and Vicedean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts at the Universitat de les Illes Balears (Spain), where she currently teaches courses in Applied Linguistics and Language Acquisition research methods. She has also taught EFL at secondary and tertiary level and has been involved in language teacher education. Her research interests and publications include bilingual first language acquisition, with a focus on the pragmatic aspects of mixing, the linguistic analysis of specialized language corpora, and the influence of learning context in foreign language acquisition, with special attention to the effects of study abroad.Aurora Bel is Associate Professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain). She currently teaches Language Acquisition and Psycholinguistics. Her interests comprise the acquisition of Spanish and Catalan as first and second languages in multilingual environments, particularly the acquisition of morphosyntax and semantics. Her latest publications include the acquisition of agreement and the study of the knowledge and factors that explain the use of grammatical subjects by different populations of learners (L1, L2). Recently she is also focusing on the abnormal development of language and the language of translators.

"It is no surprise that a large amount of interesting contemporary work on all aspects of bi-tri-and multilingualism emanates from Spain. A portrait of the young in the new multilingual Spain provides a rich example of this work, covering many aspects, both internal and external, of a multi-faceted phenomenon. Factors taken into account include the context of acquisition linguistic input, the "critical mass" hypothesis, the role of the classroom "personal factors" learners with SLI, learners of different ages, the role of literacy and the nature of bilingual linguistic competence: Grosjean's "the bilingual is not two monolinguals in one person". From the grammatical point of view this last factor finds an almost ideal testing ground in Spain, with the availability of bilinguals speaking closely-related languages (Spanish and Catalan) and non-related languages (Basque and Spanish), a fact reflected in this book. Finally, and above all, this book is a striking example of the way attitudes to bi-and multilingualism have changed."

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionPrologue by Miquel Siguan1 Issues in the Acquisition of Two or More Languages in Multilingual Environments - Carmen Pérez-Vidal, Maria Juan-Garau and Aurora BelPart 1: The Early Acquisition of Two or More Languages Within the Family Context2 Early Galician/Spanish Bilingualism: Contrasts with Monolingualism - Miguel Pérez Pereira3 Early Trilingualism: The Development of Communicative Competence in English Alongside Basque and Spanish - Julia Barnes4 Influence of the Linguistic Environment on the Development of the Lexicon and Grammar of Basque Bilingual Children - Andoni Barreña, Mª José Ezeizabarrena and Iñaki García5 Null and Overt Subjects in the Developing Grammars (L1 English/L1 Spanish) of Two Bilingual Twins - Juana M. Liceras, Raquel Fernández Fuertes and Rocío Pérez-Tattam6 Contributions from Bilingual Specific Language Impairment in Catalan and Spanish to the Understanding of Typical and Pathological Language Acquisition - Mònica Sanz-Torrent, Iris Badia and Miquel Serra7 The Simultaneous Development of Narratives in English and Spanish - Esther ÁlvarezPart 2: Bilingual and Multilingual Acquisition at Later Ages and in Instructional Settings8 Classroom Bilingualism at an Early Age: Towards a More Natural EFL Context - Ana Llinares García9 First Language Influence on Second Language Acquisition: The Case of Immigrant L1 Soninke, Tagalog and Chinese Children Learning Catalan - Elisabeth Serrat, Lluïsa Gracia and Laia Perpiñá10 Predicting Enhanced L3 Learning in Bilingual Contexts: The Role of Biliteracy - Cristina Sanz11 Learning Context Effects on the Acquisition of a Second Language Phonology - Joan C. Mora12 Non-adult Long-distance wh-questions in the Non-native Acquisition of English - Junkal Gutierrez Mangado and María del Pilar García Mayo