Bilingualism

http://podcasts.britishcouncil.org/podcasts/bilingualism-article.mp3 from 1:57-3:13 (download and play with Quicktime to get time indications)

Bilingualism by Jo Bertrand

Why encourage bilingualism? In our case it is logical that with an English mother and French father our children should be able to speak both languages to communicate, not only with us, but with their grandparents and extended family. On a wider scale, learning two or more languages helps children to accept cultures other than their own. If speaking their mother tongue(s) at home and at school is encouraged they are more likely to enjoy their difference and view difference in general as a positive thing.

How do you raise a bilingual child? There may be a dominant language and this will normally depend on the country you live in or the language your child uses most at school. However, it will also depend on what language is spoken in the home. We lived in France and spoke French at home but I always speak to my children in English. It’s imperative that the child has consistency. They know that their English auntie will always speak to them in English and that for her to understand them they should speak to her in English.

script and activities http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-magazine-bilingualism.htm I vocabulary, (no II) writing activity

Version: Research by Professor Antonella Sorace of Edinburgh University suggests bilingual children essentially make no more grammatical mistakes in English than children who speak only one language. As toddlers they may learn to talk later but not significantly so. Studies in minority languages around the world report similar findings. It's well known that children with two languages find it relatively easy to pick up third and fourth languages later on. Less well known are the studies indicating bilingualism makes children generally better at learning throughout their lives. They become skilled at co-ordinating information and switching on to key things at the right time while screening other information out. There are now 60 Gaelic units in schools across Scotland educating more than 2,200 children. Growth in pupil numbers has been steady - but not enough to replace the number of speakers dying off. BBC News, 25/09/09 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8220885.stm

Thème

Un spécialiste de la démographie des groupes linguistiques au Canada affirme que la Loi sur les langues officielles a échoué à soutenir le développement des communautés francophones hors Québec. Au moment où le pays souligne les 40 ans de cette loi, le professeur à la retraite de l'Université d'Ottawa, Charles Castonguay, constate un recul marqué de l'usage du français à l'extérieur du Québec depuis 1971. Selon lui, le déficit des générations constitue une menace à la vitalité du français au pays. Il y a 40 ans, les jeunes enfants francophones étaient aussi nombreux que les jeunes adultes. En 2006 cependant, les jeunes enfants francophones sont presque deux fois moins nombreux que les jeunes adultes. M. Castonguay voit dans ces chiffres une démonstration de l'échec des politiques canadiennes de bilinguisme, avec pour résultat que les francophones hors Québec sont de plus en plus nombreux à se tourner vers l'anglais. Radio Canada, 12/09/09 http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/National/2009/09/12/002-loi-langues-officielles-echec.shtml