The fifth edition of this bestselling book provides a comprehensive introduction to bilingualism and bilingual education. In a compact and clear style, its 19 chapters cover all the crucial issues in bilingualism at individual, group and national levels.
These include: * defining who is bilingual and multilingual * testing language abilities and language use * languages in communities and minority groups * endangered languages * language planning, language revival * the development of bilingualism in infancy and childhood * bilingualism in the family * age and language learning * adult language learning * bilinguals' thinking skills * bilingualism and the brain * theories of bilingualism * types of bilingual education * heritage language education * evaluations of bilingual education * minority language literacy * biliteracy and multiliteracies * effective teaching and learning methods in bilingual classrooms * the effectiveness of bilingual education in the United States * the history of bilingual education in the United States * language minority underachievement * bilingual special education * the assessment of language minority children * Deaf bilinguals * the spread of English as a global language * learning English as a second or third language * language identity and multiple identities * the politics surrounding language minorities and bilingual education * assimilation and pluralism * bilingualism and employment * bilingualism and the internet