Bilingualism (Language in Society) [Paperback]

Suzanne Romaine (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631195394 | ISBN-13: 978-0631195399 | Publication Date: January 17, 1995 | Edition: 2

Since it was first published in 1989, Suzanne Romaine's book has been recognized as the most authoritative introduction to the sociolinguistics of bilingualism. The new edition has been completely revised to incorporate recent work in this fast developing field.

Throughout the book, bilingualism is seen as both a societal and cognitive phenomenon. Professor Romaine explores various aspects of bilingual behavior, such as code switching and language mixing, in terms of neurolinguistic organization in the individual speaker. The author also assesses the positive and negative claims made for the effects of bilingualism on children's cognitive, social and academic development, and examines the assumptions behind various language policies and programs for bilingual children. In all this, Professor Romaine draws on her own research with Punjabi /Engllish bilinguals in Britain, and Tok Pisin/ English bilingual children in Papua New Guinea.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Since it was first published in 1989, Suzanne Romaine's book has been recognized as the most authoritative introduction to the sociolinguistics of bilingualism. The new edition has been completely revised to incorporate recent work in this fast developing field.

Throughout the book, bilingualism is seen as both a societal and cognitive phenomenon. Professor Romaine explores various aspects of bilingual behavior, such as code switching and language mixing, in terms of neurolinguistic organization in the individual speaker. The author also assesses the positive and negative claims made for the effects of bilingualism on children's cognitive, social and academic development, and examines the assumptions behind various language policies and programs for bilingual children. In all this, Professor Romaine draws on her own research with Punjabi /Engllish bilinguals in Britain, and Tok Pisin/ English bilingual children in Papua New Guinea.

About the Author

Suzanne Romaine is Merton Professor of English Language at the University of Oxford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (January 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631195394
• ISBN-13: 978-0631195399
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Introduction, February 28, 2006

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T. Hooper "thdizzy" (Osaka, Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bilingualism (Language in Society) (Paperback)

Romaine provides an excellent introduction to the field of bilingualism. Of the texts I have read on the topic, this is perhaps the one that finds the best balance between readability and comprehensiveness. She covers the main subfields of bilingualism, and discusses numerous studies in the field. If you're just getting into the field, this will serve as a great guide, and you'll be able to find some great resources which you'll then be able to pursue independently. I strongly recommend this as the first book to read on bilingualism. After you read this, then you can move on to more advanced texts.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bought for a class, but enjoyed materials covered in book, April 16, 2009

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watchthelightdie (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bilingualism (Language in Society) (Paperback)

I had to buy this for my FLA 499 Bilingualism and Languages in Contact class at ASU. There is a lot of material covered in the book by the author, but it's very informative and gives good references for further research on bilingualism/linguistics. Glad the professor picked this book--I still reference it for research/sources in my other linguistics classes.