Growing Up with Languages

Claire Thomas is herself the mother of two children who are being raised bilingually. She was a founding member of Waltham Forest Bilingual Group and has been Secretary of the group for 8 years. She has helped design and run several different forms of workshops for parents and has discussed bilingual family decisions and dilemmas with literally hundreds of parents.Waltham Forest Bilingual Group is a small, entirely voluntary, group of parents in multilingual families. It provides support to parents in such families in North East London via a regular monthly drop in event, quarterly workshops and speaker events. For more information or to get in touch, please visit www.wfbilingual.org.uk.

This book looks at the lives and the trajectories of multilinguals and lets them talk about their experiences. The author demonstrates how fluid and dynamic bilingualism is within a family, but it also shows what bilingual families have in common and what can be done to maintain bilingualism. A great book!

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart 1: Different Types of Family and Issues that Only Affect Some Kinds of Family1 Issues for Families Speaking More than One Language at Home2 Issues for Families Using One Language at Home, Another in the Community and at School3 Interviewees who are Bilingual Solely through Attending School in Another Language4 Interviewees who Learnt Languages Solely from the Community5 Changes as a Result of Divorce or Separation6 Changes as a Result of the Death of One Parent7 Changes as a Result of Advice Given to Parents8 Changes as a Result of Interviewees’ Choices or DecisionsPart 2: Issues at Home that will Affect Most, if Not All, Families at Some Time9 Consistency Versus Flexibility in Languages Used at Home10 Rewards, Encouragement, Sanctions and Disapproval Linked to Language Use11 Resistance – Children Who Prefer Not to Speak a Language12 Fitting In/Standing Out13 Input from Others, Resources and HolidaysPart 3: Education14 Starting School and Changing Schools15 Home Language Support/Teaching in Mainstream Schools16 Additional Support Outside (or as an alternative to) Mainstream Schools17 Help with HomeworkPart 4: Language Policies and Politics18 Language Status, Links to Politics and RacismPart 5: Interviewees as Adults19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Having Been Raised Bilingually20 One Thing You Would Change about Your Bilingual Childhood and Advice to a Family Just Starting Out21 Low Input and Language Loss and Retention22 Identities23 Studying and Working Abroad as Young Adults, Choosing Where to Live More Permanently and Using Bilingualism at Work24 Relationships25 Raising Children Monolingually or Bilingually and the Reasons Given26 Access to Culture as Adults27 Accents28 Learning Additional LanguagesPart 6: Overall Analysis and Recommendations29 Factors Linked to Success or Failure30 Recommendations to Parents Raising Multilingual Children31 Suggested ReadingAbout Waltham Forest Bilingual Group and How This Project Got Started