‘translanguaging’, are linked to the kinds of theory-driven psycholinguistic
and neuro-cognitive studies reported in this volume insofar as they speak to
the practical implications of evidence of cross-linguistic influences in the
bilingual mind. In other words, as more and more research deepens our
understanding of cross-linguistic influences in bilinguals and, thereby,
affirms that it is a natural consequence of knowing and using two languages,
the evidence from theory-driven research makes a strong case among educa-
tors and other professionals to similarly explore and, in fact, exploit the
potential advantages of using two languages for educational and/or clinical
purposes. This marks a dramatic departure from previous thinking which
has tended to eschew use of both languages at the same time and rather to
advocate for monolingual approaches, be it with respect to instructional
approaches in bilingual education or speech and language remediation for
bilingual children with language learning difficulties.
As diverse as the contributions in this volume are, Advances in the Study of
Bilingualism is also a biography of Welsh in different bilingual contexts,
admittedly a biography that is still unfolding as more and more research is
undertaken. This singular focus serves to drive home even more clearly the
utility of a cross-disciplinary perspective and illustrates, in Gathercole’s
term, how bilingualism is ‘constructed’ along multiple dimensions and in mul-
tiple contexts — intra-individual, inter-individual, and communal, and edu-
cational. Students of bilingualism have much to learn from this volume, and
it would serve well as a textbook for graduate students interested in the topic
because it provides an excellent survey of the issues, disciplinary perspec-
tives, and methodologies in the field. At the same time, seasoned researchers
will find plenty of interesting and exciting ideas about multiple aspects of
bilingualism, and it is sure to generate even more ideas to explore.
References
Genesee, F. (1989) Early bilingual development: One language or two. Journal of Child
Language 16, 161–179.
Leopold, W. (1949) Speech Development In A Bilingual Child: A Linguist’s Record. Vol. III.
Grammar and General Problems. Evanston: Northwestern University Press.
Meisel, J. (1994) Code-switching in young bilingual children: The acquisition of gram-
matical constraints. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 16, 413–441.
Vihman, M. (1998) A developmental perspective on codeswitching: conversations
between a pair of bilingual siblings. International Journal of Bilingualism 2, 45–84.
Foreword xv