François Grosjean

I very much enjoyed this book about bi- and multilingualism. Grosjean seeks to debunk common myths such as bilinguals must know their languages perfectly, bilinguals are at a learning disadvantage and bilinguals have split personalities.

There are several other elements I would add to that: his vast definition of language, where he includes dialects (variants of a same language such French and Swiss French for example) and American sign language; his demonstration of how languages ebb in and out through time depending on usage and how different languages will cover different domain of specificity; and how biculturals, yet an understudied phenomenon, will suss out overlaps in cultures while introducing elements of one culture into the other depending on social context and acceptance.

As a bilingual and bicultural, raising a bilingual and bicultural child, I found his explanations and examples to ring very true. Grosjean is also careful to steer away from too much jargon to keep the information accessible to non-linguists. A must read for bilingual people and families struggling to find balance or simply for those who wish to better know the mechanisms that influence their language use.… (más)

When a retired bilingual professor who knows his field very well takes the reader on a short and friendly tour, the result is a pleasure in many aspects. For me, two major aspects of the book were its explaining and debunking of myths related to bilingualism (and never forgetting the fact that experiencing a new language means experiencing a new culture and way of thinking at the same time), as well as having a dedicated chapter on the bilingualism of children.

The readers who did not know much about bilingualism will gain a lot from this book without having forced to struggle with heavy academic linguistics terminology. Parents who are concerned about the bilingualism of their children will be relieved as Prof. Grosjean explains why many of the myths are problematic or plainly false.

From the beginning to the end, the personal tone of the book made me feel like as if I was in a conversation with an old friend who knew a lot about bilingualism and shared this, as well as his personal experiences, without never intimidating.

If you want a good, non-academic starter for all matters related bilingualism, this book is one of the few I can sincerely recommend.… (más)