First published in 1989. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1989. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor and Francis, an informa company.

About half the world's population knows and uses two or more languages in everyday life, and an increasing number of parents are raising their children bilingual. This makes a resource on what it means to become and be bilingual all the more necessary. This book brings together a selection of posts from the author's highly successful Psychology Today blog, grouped by topic into 15 chapters. The topics covered include, among others, what it means to be bilingual, the extent of bilingualism, how someone becomes bilingual, how bilingualism is fostered in the family, the bilingual mind and brain, and bilingualism across the lifespan. It also includes the author's lively interviews with other experts, delving into their research and their own experience as bilinguals. Written in a highly engaging, readable style, this book is suitable for anyone who wants to better understand those who live with two or more languages.

This book explores the life and experiences of one of the world's most renowned and well-respected experts in bilingualism. Francois Grosjean takes us through his life, from his monolingual childhood in a small village outside Paris to the long periods of time he spent in Switzerland, England, France, and the United States, becoming bilingual and bicultural in the process. During his life, his dominant language has changed many times between English and French, and he has also acquired, and subsequently lost, other languages, including American Sign Language. Throughout the book, he combines his personal accounts and anecdotes with insights from and reflections on his extensive scholarly research in bilingualism and biculturalism, which has, in turn, been heavily influenced by his own experiences. Written in an engaging and accessible style, the book will appeal to general readers interested in bilingualism and language contact, educators and parents of bilingual children, researchers working on bilingualism, and to bilinguals themselves.

Many people consider bilinguals to be exceptional, yet almost half the world's population speaks more than one language. Bilingualism is found in every country of the world, in every class of society, in all age groups. "Life with Two Languages" is the first book to provide a complete and authoritative look at the nature of the bilingual experience. Francois Grosjean, himself a bilingual, covers the topic from each of its many angles in order to provide a balanced introduction to this fascinating phenomenon.

Grosjean discusses the political and social situations that arise when languages come into contact and the policies nations have established toward their linguistic minorities in the domains of education and governance. Of particular interest is his detailed account of the psychological and social factors that lead a bilingual to choose one of her languages when speaking to another bilingual or to use both languages in the fascinating phenomenon of code-switching. The author explains how children become bilingual as quickly as they become monolingual, describes the organization of languages in the bilingual brain, and examines the legacy of bilingualism on language, as exemplified in word borrowings.

Above all, "Life with Two Languages" puts the emphasis on the bilingual person. In a series of first-hand reports scattered throughout the book, bilinguals tell what it is like to live with two languages and describe the educational and social experiences they have undergone.

Written in a clear and informative style, "Life with Two Languages" will appeal to professionals and students in linguistics, education, sociology, and psychology, as well as to the more casuallycurious.

Even though more than half the world's population is bilingual, the study of bilinguals has lagged behind that of monolinguals. With this book, which draws on twenty-five years of the author's research, Fran ois Grosjean contributes significantly to redressing the balance. The volume covers four areas of research: the definition and characterization of the bilingual person, the perception and production of spoken language by bilinguals, the sign-oral bilingualism of the Deaf, and methodological and conceptual issues in research on bilingualism. While the author takes a largely psycholinguistic approach, his acute linguistic and sociolinguistic awareness is evident throughout and especially so in his reflections on what it means to be bilingual and bicultural. The book also defends increased co-operation among researchers in connecting fields such as the language sciences and the neurosciences.

About half the world's population knows and uses two or more languages in everyday life, and an increasing number of parents are raising their children bilingual. This makes a resource on what it means to become and be bilingual all the more necessary. This book brings together a selection of posts from the author's highly successful Psychology Today blog, grouped by topic into 15 chapters. The topics covered include, among others, what it means to be bilingual, the extent of bilingualism, how someone becomes bilingual, how bilingualism is fostered in the family, the bilingual mind and brain, and bilingualism across the lifespan. It also includes the author's lively interviews with other experts, delving into their research and their own experience as bilinguals. Written in a highly engaging, readable style, this book is suitable for anyone who wants to better understand those who live with two or more languages.

Even though more than half the world's population is bilingual, the study of bilinguals has lagged behind that of monolinguals. With this book, which draws on twenty-five years of the author's research, Francois Grosjean contributes significantly to redressing the balance. The volume covers four areas of research: the definition and characterization of the bilingual person, the perception and production of spoken language by bilinguals, the sign-oral bilingualism of the Deaf, and methodological and conceptual issues in research on bilingualism. While the author takes a largely psycholinguistic approach, his acute linguistic and sociolinguistic awareness is evident throughout and especially so in his reflections on what it means to be bilingual and bicultural. The book also defends increased co-operation among researchers in connecting fields such as the language sciences and the neurosciences.

Whether in family life, social interactions, or business negotiations, half the people in the world speak more than one language every day. Yet many myths persist about bilingualism and bilinguals. In a lively and entertaining book, an international authority on bilingualism explores the many facets of life with two or more languages.