The Bilingualism Reader [Paperback]

Wei Li (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0415213363 | ISBN-13: 978-0415213363 | Edition: 1st Galahad Books ed

This is a comprehensive collection of the classics in the study of bilingualism. Designed as a structured student reader, it covers:

• definitions and typology of bilingualism
• language choice and bilingual interaction
• grammar of code-switching and bilingual acquisition
• the bilingual brain and bilingual production and perception
•  methodological issues in the study of bilingualism.

Invaluable editorial material guides the student through different sections of the reader. Critical discussion of research methods, graded study questions and activities, a comprehensive glossary and an up-to-date resource list make The Bilingualism Reader an essential introductory text for any course in bilingualism.
Extracts from: Peter Auer, Michael Clyne, Kees De Bot, Charles Ferguson, Joshua Fishman, Fred Genesee, David Green, François Grosjean, John Gumperz, Monica Heller, Li Wei, William Mackey, Jurgen Meisel, Lesley Milroy, Carol Myers-Scotton, Lorraine Obler, Michel Paradis and Shana Poplack.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Wei's edited volume provides a useful contribution to those seriously interested in the study of bilingualism because in a single volume it makes available some of the most important classic works..
–Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Roy C. Major, Arizona State University

This book is clearly a bargain, and it is difficult to see how it could fail to become a core textbook for courses in bilingualism.
–Paul Meara, University of Wales Swansea, UK In System, 29: 3

This outstanding collection of the key articles in the field is an essential guide for incoming students and a wonderful resource for bilingualism scholars.
–Annotated Bibliography for English Studies

About the Author

Li Wei is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Speech, and Director of the Centre for Research in Linguistics, at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He is author of Three Generations Two Languages One Family (1994) and editor of the International Journal of Bilingualism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1st Galahad Books ed edition (August 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415213363
• ISBN-13: 978-0415213363
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,887,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully edited, outstanding, October 24, 2000

By 

Aneta Pavlenko (Temple University, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bilingualism Reader (Paperback)

The Bilingualism Reader is the only existing reader in the field, a comprehensive collection of the classic articles in the study of bilingualism. Designed to be used as an essential introductory text for students, the reader covers all the key areas in the field. The introduction includes a perceptive discussion of the dimensions of bilingualism by the editor and an article on the description of bilingualism by Mackey. Part one, Sociolinguistic dimensions of bilingualism, is further subdivided into two sections, language choice(with classic articles on diglossia and language choice by Ferguson and Fishman), and bilingual interaction (with articles on code-switching by Blom & Gumperz, Myers-Scotton, Auer, and Wei, Milroy & Ching). Part two, Linguistic dimensions of bilingualism, includes two sections, grammar of code-switching (with articles by Poplack, Clyne, and Myers-Scotton & Jake), and language acquisition of bilingual children (articles by Genesee and Meisel). Part three, Psycholinguistic dimensions of bilingualism,includes articles on the bilingual brain (Obler, Zatorre, Galloway & Vaid,and Paradis), and studies of bilingual speech processing (articles by Green, De Bot, and Grosjean). In the conclusion section the editor discusses methodological questions in the study of bilingualism. The book is wonderfully edited, whereby the reader is guided through different sections all of which contain notes for students and instructors, including study questions and study activities. This outstanding collection of the key articles in the field, accompanied by a critical discussion of today's issues in bilingualism, a comprehensive glossary and an up-to-date resource list, is an essential guide for incoming students and a wonderful resource for bilingualism scholars. (anpavl)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extremely student-friendly book., October 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bilingualism Reader (Paperback)

While there are so many different textbooks on bilingualism, this Reader is the one to buy. It contains all the important articles on various aspects of bilingualism that a serious student must read. The study questions and activities are useful as mini-dissertation topics. The chapter on methdology by Li Wei, the editor, is excellent. The resource list is most up-to-date and useful. Do go and buy yourself a copy. It's good value for money.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good collection of articles, January 12, 2008

By 

Jeruen E. Dery (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bilingualism Reader (Paperback)

I used this as a textbook for a Bilingualism course I took in graduate school. Even though this is not my field of research, I am impressed at the breadth of topics that this reader covers. It is very comprehensive, taking in articles dealing with the latest research in every aspect of this branch of linguistics.