Salima Qureshi-Biagiotti is an American speech-language pathologist living in Florence since 2004. She has volunteered to write a column on language development in regards to Bilingualism. Here is a description of her upcoming articles in the Spring Issue. Her first one is on The Bilingual Child: Mother-Tongue (Discusses importance of parents using their mother-tongue to establish self-identity, self-esteem, connection to both parents homeland…etc.) The second will be The Bilingual Child: Defining Bilingualism (Deciding to raise a child bilingually should be carefully planned. Creating a definition that best fits your family is the first step.)
In this issue she gives a quick description of what is a bilingual child:
bilingual acquisition is a common and normal childhood experience
all children are capable of learning two languages in childhood
knowing the language of one’s parents is an important and essential component of children’s cultural identity and sense of belonging
bilingual acquisition is facilitated if children have sustained, rich, and varied experiences in both languages
proficiency in both languages is more likely if children have sustained exposure in the home to the language that is used less extensively in the community; the language that is used more widely will get support outside the home
parents can facilitate bilingual proficiency by using the language they know best and by using it in varied and extensive ways
View my pages:
The Bi/Multilingual Child: A Language Plan
The Bi/Multilingual Child: Tips For Success
