Multilingual Mind Issues Discussed By, For, and About People Living With Many Languages

The bulk of the world's population is multilingual, and one in seven Americans speak a language other than English at home. Multilinguals crave answers to questions both basic and profound, questions relating to linguistic identity, schools, multiliteracy, how languages are actually learned, and why there are so many variations on individual success. Tokuhama-Espinosa combines solid research, humor, and real-life examples into 21 informative and entertaining essays about people who experience the world with multiple languages. This book tackles common misconceptions about polyglots ("too many languages can cause brain overload," "some languages are easier to learn than others," "an adult cannot learn a foreign language as fast as a child," etc.). Other topics include: BLCurriculum choice BLTeaching languages using the multiple intelligences BLHow different education systems can influence multilingual skills BLLanguage's relationship to mental tasks such as music and math BLLanguages from the womb and bilingualism from birth BLThe growth of the trilingual family BL The societal situation of "third culture kids" (those growing outside of their parents' native country) BLA special case for foreign language development BLThe emerging cross-area study of multilingualism and cosmopolitanism BLQuestions of linguistic identity BLChallenges to normal foreign language learning, such as dyslexia, Downs Syndrome, and deafnessTokuhama-Espinosa, Tracey is the author of 'Multilingual Mind Issues Discussed By, For, and About People Living With Many Languages', published 2003 under ISBN 9780897899192 and ISBN 0897899199.