• This state-of-the-art text reviews, evaluates, and reflects on L2 development across the lifespan as a complex variable that is both socio-cultural as well as maturational in nature – with a chronological chapter lineup from infant bilinguals to L2 learners in adolescence, adulthood, and older age. • Offers in-depth discussion of highly pertinent yet underresearched topics, like L2 learners in older individuals, as well as an innovative chapter on L2 learning in the context of cross-cultural/binational/plurilingual romantic relationships, in both cases with diverse circumstances, motivations, and outcomes. • The first book taking on this area in its fullness and in a way accessible to students and non-specialist – with a concerted, authored text. Previous works are focused on one age cohort, edited volumes rather than unified authored books, and the most closely competing books were published over a decade (and sometimes over three decades) ago.

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Bilingualism presents an introduction to the neural bases and cognitive processes of the bilingual brain. It covers foundational knowledge required for study in the area of bilingualism, including prominent theories and research methodologies, and the state of research in relevant fields of psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Major topics include bilingual development and brain plasticity; aphasia and the bilingual brain; cross-linguistic effects of bilingualism; bilingual lexical and conceptual memory; and cognitive and neurocognitive effects of bilingualism. This book represents the first of its kind to bring together the various psychological and theoretical issues of bilingualism with respect to language processing and representation, while providing insight into the 'reality' of the bilingual brain.

• This state-of-the-art text reviews, evaluates, and reflects on L2 development across the lifespan as a complex variable that is both socio-cultural as well as maturational in nature – with a chronological chapter lineup from infant bilinguals to L2 learners in adolescence, adulthood, and older age. • Offers in-depth discussion of highly pertinent yet underresearched topics, like L2 learners in older individuals, as well as an innovative chapter on L2 learning in the context of cross-cultural/binational/plurilingual romantic relationships, in both cases with diverse circumstances, motivations, and outcomes. • The first book taking on this area in its fullness and in a way accessible to students and non-specialist – with a concerted, authored text. Previous works are focused on one age cohort, edited volumes rather than unified authored books, and the most closely competing books were published over a decade (and sometimes over three decades) ago.

Have you ever been told that raising your child to speak multiple languages will harm their development? Are teachers or other professionals suspicious of your efforts? Are you sometimes unsure if you are helping your child's language development, or are you uncertain where to start? It is increasingly recognised among researchers that, far from harming a child's development, being exposed to multiple languages from birth or early childhood can result in linguistic, creative and social advantages. The authors, all multilinguals themselves, parents of multilingual children, and researchers on language and multilingualism, aim to provide advice and inspiration for multilingual families across the world. The latest research on multilingualism and the authors' own experiences are used to provide a friendly, accessible guide to raising and nurturing happy multilingual children.

Have you ever been told that raising your child to speak multiple languages will harm their development? Are teachers or other professionals suspicious of your efforts? Are you sometimes unsure if you are helping your child's language development, or are you uncertain where to start? It is increasingly recognised among researchers that, far from harming a child's development, being exposed to multiple languages from birth or early childhood can result in linguistic, creative and social advantages. The authors, all multilinguals themselves, parents of multilingual children, and researchers on language and multilingualism, aim to provide advice and inspiration for multilingual families across the world. The latest research on multilingualism and the authors' own experiences are used to provide a friendly, accessible guide to raising and nurturing happy multilingual children.

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Bilingualism presents an introduction to the neural bases and cognitive processes of the bilingual brain. It covers foundational knowledge required for study in the area of bilingualism, including prominent theories and research methodologies, and the state of research in relevant fields of psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Major topics include bilingual development and brain plasticity; aphasia and the bilingual brain; cross-linguistic effects of bilingualism; bilingual lexical and conceptual memory; and cognitive and neurocognitive effects of bilingualism. This book represents the first of its kind to bring together the various psychological and theoretical issues of bilingualism with respect to language processing and representation, while providing insight into the 'reality' of the bilingual brain.

Die Sprachenfrage in der EU ist ein aktuelles, ja brisantes Thema. Politische und administrative Zentralisierung, wirtschaftliche Globalisierung - dies sind Prozesse, die unmittelbar fur das Leben und Uberleben der Sprachen Europas relevant sind. Die Sprachenfrage und die Sprachenpolitik der EU kann nur dann sinnvoll diskutiert werden, wenn sie als Fortsetzung der nationalen Sprachenpolitiken verstanden werden. Die Nationalstaaten nehmen eine "Zwischenposition" ein: im europaischen Kontext verfechten sie in aller Regel Plurilinguismus, im nationalen Kontext dagegen sprachliche und kulturelle Homogenitat innerhalb ihrer Grenzen. In diesem Buch wird die soziolinguistische Forschung mit den rechtlichen und verwaltungspraktisch relevanten Entscheidungen der EU kontrastiert. Die europaische Sprachenproblematik wird in einem Feld situiert, das durch antagonistische Pole aufgespannt wird: supranationale vs. nationale vs. regionale Identitat; identitatsstiftende vs. pragmatische Ziele; verwaltungsinterne vs. burgerbezogene Entscheidungen. Ein entschiedenes Pladoyer fur eine "neue Sprachenpolitik" der EU rundet diese sorgfaltig recherchierte, koharente, und engagierte Betrachtung ab."