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Una Cunningham-Andersson

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Growing Up with Two Languages: A Practical Guide 2nd Edition 2nd Edition

by Una Cunningham-Andersson (Author), Staffan Andersson (Author)

4.3 31 ratings

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This best-selling, easy-to-read guide provides sensible advice and practical help for families whose children are growing up with two languages, and for professionals working with them. It is packed with case studies and examples of how over fifty families around the world are coping with bilingualism.

Every family's situation is different, but there is a good deal that parents can do to make life with two languages easier for their children. The trials and rewards of life with two languages and cultures are discussed in detail, followed by clear guidance on supporting the child's linguistic and cultural development.

Features of this new updated edition include:

new and updated Internet resources
information on the specific problems facing teenagers, and guidance on how to resolve them
new research into language acquisition
discussion of attitudes to immigrant communities
new and updated first-hand advice and examples throughout.

Written by parents bringing up four bilingual children of their own, Growing Up with Two Languages will help all those who feel uncertain about how to help children benefit fully from their bilingual situation. It will also be useful for students on bilingualism, language acquisition and education courses.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Every family with two languages should have this book!' - Stephen Ryan, The Bilingual Family Newsletter

About the Author

Una Cunningham-Andersson is a Senior Lecturer in English language and linguistics at Dalarna University in Falun, Sweden.
Staffan Andersson teaches computing. They are raising their four children to speak English and Swedish in Sweden.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 2nd edition (June 19, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0415333326
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0415333320
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.3 31 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

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LHC

Not what I was expecting but pleasantly surprised

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2012

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I have a multi-cultural family and we were pregnant with our first child when I put this on my baby registry because I had all kinds of questions as to how to raise our baby. One language, one parent, Secondary only in the house or what? I thought this book was going to tell me the way to do it "right" and why but it didn't. It does tell you how many varied ways you can raise a child with more than one language just as the title suggests. They don't call it 'bi-lingual' either which is kind of confusing for me as an American who is accustomed to hearing that word all of the time but their reasoning makes sense. Best part of the book? The comments by other parents who speak more than one language and their experiences. What they do, how they do it, and how it has worked for their children. It is always comforting to hear real life examples and this book provides plenty. I definitely suggest it to multi-cultural families who have questions about language.

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Ohm sweet Ohm

Gives you something to think about

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2010

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It's a good book to give you some heads up on what to expect if you use two languages in the house. Lots of examples from other families.

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Aotearoa Booklover

Useful, practical introduction to the world of bilingual parenting

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2007

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This account of bilingual language acquisition is a fantastic how-to guide for all parents hoping to bring up their children with more than one language. I found the style very accessible and the pointers for creating your own bilingual family very useful.

Still a work in progress for us - our baby is only 3 months old - but we're putting into practice the Andersson's recommendations, so time will tell!

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Indy

Pretty much run of the mill

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2006

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I expected far more substantial explanation and real-world advice. What I got was a collection of anecdotes that yielded more common sense conclusions than expert insight.

And as a parent raising bilingual, bi-racial, bi-cultural children, I really disagree with restricting the native speaking parent to their own language. To create a family bond in all directions, IMO, it has worked best for both parents to model both languages, with emphasis (of course) at home on the language not experienced in everyday life. Our child quickly-- by age two-- could easily distinguish between the two and perform his own translations when prompted.

13 people found this helpful

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Xiaohuan Zhou

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2016

good

badly organized, dissapointing

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2003

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As an expectant mother of bi-cultural, bi-racial, and hopefuly bi-lingual child, I am reading any kind of books which might help me. On the contrary to many praises, this book was a big dissapointment for me. The authors keep repeating the same thing chapter after chapter, and failed to give any concrete evidence to explain why. If you just want to read many bits and pieces opinions from bilingual children's parents, this may be the right book for you. I rather recommend "The Bilingual Family."

21 people found this helpful

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Izabela Rydzowska

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2014

Just what I needed!

It's much more than teaching your kids language

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2001

This book gives lots of examples of bilingual / bicultural parents doing raising their kids in different ways and how these different approaches work. The examples are taken from around the world (although the authors are Swedish / Irish, so many examples are from their own family.) But what I really like about the book is the emphasis they give to all of the 'related issues' of raising a bilingual child--not just what's the best way to get children to speak, read and write two languages (although that's part of what the book covers), but also issues like: how do you deal with a situation where you always speak to your child in a language your spouse or parents-in-law don't understand, and not make them feel left out? What about when your child has to take foreign language classes at school for a language he's already fluent in (and maybe speaks better than the teacher, or at least thinks he does)? If you're the parent who speaks the minority language, how do you maintain your fluency in that language when no one else near you speaks it? And does it bother you that when you speak to your child in a minority language when you're out in public, that you attract attention, or that other people perceive you as a foreigner who can't speak the majority language properly? How do you deal with cultural differences in "bringing up children properly" (British people may expect children to play quietly, Scandianvian children are expected to take off their shoes when they come into someone's home, in some cultures physical proximity is much less and people hug and stand close in a way that might be uncomfortable for other cultures, etc.) How do you change the rules of what's 'good behaviour' when you travel? What about when grandparents are visiting? Growing up in a family where the parents come from different countries or cultures is a whole lot more than learning to speak two languages, and this book explores a lot of those areas. The book doesn't tell you what to do--just makes you aware of a number of different issues that can come up and describes some of the things that other people have done in those situations.

96 people found this helpful

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Laura Brambilla

buona guida

Reviewed in Italy on November 19, 2014

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Ho letto questo libro in vista della nascita di mia figlia e della decisione di crescerla bilingue. Ci sono molti consigli utili per crearsi un proprio metodo ed evitare errori

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Annette Pacey

Practical and accessible guide - recommended.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2012

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This book is aimed more at those who find themselves bringing up children in a multi-lingual environment (eg, due to circumstances such as parents living in a foreign country for work, or parents who speak two different native languages) rather than those who live in a mono-lingual environment but would like their child to acquire a second language as part of their development.

The authors are parents, rather than experts, but they are clearly well educated, thoughtful people and the book is written in a clear and structured way. They do occasionally draw on their personal experiences but the book is not simply the story of their experience or their family.

An advantage of the book is that it reminds parents to be realistic about their expectations and seriously consider how much commitment will be involved in the task of raising a child with two languages. Don't assume, for example, that the child will speak the 'minority' language with a native accent, or that perfect bilingualism is always a realistic expectation (two things that I had taken for granted before reading the book). They thoughtfully explore many of the problems or issues that you may encounter.

The book looks at the two main systems that a family may adopt and considers which might be appropriate in different circumstances. The authors advise giving this some thought before the baby arrives so that a consistent approach can be taken from the start (although you may choose to change the system later if circumstances change). There is also advice on how to raise the issue with grandparents and the wider family, who may well be sceptical of the whole idea of raising a child with two languages.

All in all an insightful book, and far more reasonably priced than the others on this topic.

3 people found this helpful

Black Sheep

Very useful, with lots of answers to common questions

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2009

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If you bring your child up in a minority language, you will face questions and pressure. This book gave me the answers I needed to the most common questions I face, and the confidence I needed as a parent. Important issues discussed include the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism, family language systems, the child's possible reaction at day care and school, culture, children with special needs, motivation and teenagers. The authors give plenty of positive practical guidance, as well as warnings about creating negative perceptions, while steering clear of laying down absolute rules.

The quality of printing is quite good for a paperback, with clear, white pages. The writing style is fairly good, and the insert boxes of anecdotes and comments are useful. Unfortunately, the font used for most of the text is rather small.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone bringing their children up bilingually.

10 people found this helpful

Jacqueline Rowlands

holding children back or not?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2013

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A useful guide to bringing up children with parents speaking one language and one parent another - good or bad

magalactica

let's see

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2013

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