Fall Highlights at Bilingual Readers 3 Sep 2010, 6:47 am

As we already hinted at in a previous post, we’ve been busy working on several new projects which will finally see the light of day over the next few months. Here are just a few highlights to get you started:

Consigue que tu hijo sea bilingüe: During our first year at Bilingual Readers we’ve had the opportunity to meet bilingual families from all over the world. Many of these families come from very different backgrounds and circumstances, but many of them had very similar questions about childhood bilingualism and what’s the best way to create a bilingual home. We’d been toying with the idea of starting a parenting collection at Bilingual Readers for a while now, so we thought the first book in this collection should be focussed on addressing the specific needs of parents of bilingual children. We’re very excited to present our first title in this new collection, Consigue que tu hijo sea bilingüe. We’re confident that this clear cut, down to earth book by Barbara Zurer Pearson, a linguist with over twenty years’ experience in researching childhood bilingualism, will provide our readers with many of the answers they’ve been looking for. Official publication date is September 14th, but you can get your copy now at our on-line store.

Fungi: We’re thrilled about this new series of reversible bilingual flip books for children ages 6 and up! This new series follows their daily comings and goings of a community of neighbors living under a fungus farm through the adventures, games and fantasies of two young friends: Frida and Max. Each book in this collection is based on a new animated children’s program called Fungi, which will be appearing worldwide over the course of 2011. In addition to teaching vocabulary in Spanish and English, these books also teach scientific facts and include simple, fun activities that kids can do at home. Not to mention the ridiculously cool design. The first title in this series, Fungi Beauty Salon / Salón de belleza Fungi, will be published in October.

Marina and the Little Green Boy: At School: The little green boy is back for a new adventure! After much protesting, the little green boy has finally convinced Marina’s parents to let him go to school with Marina. But is school ready for the little green boy? There are lots of surprises in store for readers in our favorite book yet in this adorable series.

Marina and the Little Green Boy Interactive E-book: This fall Marina and the Little Green Boy will be making their way into the hearts of iPhone, iPad and iPodTouch owners around the world! You can now download an interactive edition of this book from the iTunes Store.

Now that you’ve gotten a small taste of what’s in store this fall, we hope you’ll come back and visit us often for more details!

Consigue que tu hijo sea bilingüe 2 Sep 2010, 12:16 pm

• A complete step by step guide for parents who want to raise bilingual children.
• Provides solid scientific arguments about the benefits of raising bilingual children.
• Practical advice about how to to integrate two (or more) languages in your child’s day to day activity.
• Straight forward, down to earth style.
• Testimonies from bilingual parents and children.
• Debunks myths about childhood bilingualism.
• Explains how learning two languages from a young age can help your child’s intellectual and emotional development.
• Winner of the Disney iParenting award.

We’re Back! 1 Sep 2010, 10:34 am

Today is September 1st, the day which officially marks the end of our summer holiday. We had an amazing time in Portugal and we were even able to enjoy some down time here in Madrid. And even though the scorching heat in Madrid would suggest otherwise, fall is just around the corner. It’s always sad for summer to end, but we’re also extremely excited about all of the new books and activities we have planned for this fall. Over the course of the next week or so, we’ll be giving you a sneak peak of what’s in store over the next few months, so be sure to stay tuned!

Do Languages Shape the Way We Think? 28 Jul 2010, 5:04 am

Every day we use language to express our thoughts and emotions, but what role do the languages we speak play in shaping those thoughts and emotions? Just how much of our culture and worldview is based on the concepts expressed in the languages we speak? Do bilinguals really have access to a broader understanding of the world because of the nuances which can be expressed in each of their languages? This question is not a new one, but every once in a while a new article is published that makes me reconsider the impact that speaking more than one language has on the very way we think and see the world.

According to this new article by Lera Boroditsky, a psychology professor at Stanford University, a great deal of new research has been published which firmly backs the theory that language does, in fact, influence the way we see the world. The article cites several studies carried out in a wide variety of languages which showcase how language affects our worldview, but I think most bilinguals are already aware of this to some extent. Speaking more than one language not only allows us to communicate with more people across the globe, but it also gives us the great priveledge of understanding the very way people from other cultures view and understand the world. This is one of the most precious gifts a parent can give a child.

A Non-political Discussion of Bilingualism in Spain 7 Jul 2010, 3:26 am

image credit: dominio de las lenguas, via Público (click to view full size image)

If you’ve been reading us for a while, I’m sure you know that we try to avoid political discussions about bilingualism and the minority languages spoken in Spain. This is primarily because we believe that there is plenty of evidence to support the fact that a bilingual upbringing has loads of benefits, regardless of which combination of languages you choose to teach your children. One of the most recent studies on the subject demonstrates some of the many cognitive advantages bilingual children and adults have over their monolingual peers. Click here for more in-depth information on the benefits of bilingualism. So we strongly encourage parents to raise their children bilingually, whether that means English/Spanish, Arabic/French, Polish/Chinese or whatever language combination you feel motivated to share with your children.

That said, a interesting article in the Spanish daily newspaper Publico recently caught my eye. Under the headline “La recuperación de las lenguas aún es un reto” (Language Recovery is Still a Challenge), the article uses pictographs and numerical data to show the evolution of each of Spain’s minority languages over the last 30 years in those regions where each language is spoken. It’s especially interesting to see the challenges each region has faced over the years and the impact that social and political support for these minority languages has had on the recovery of each language.

The main (non-political) conclusion we can gain from these statistics is that it takes work for children to learn any language that is not the primary community language. Children first need to be exposed to a language and then they need to feel a motivation to communicate in that language. Just as those communities who have supported the use of their minority languages and worked for more opportunities for children to find a practical use for those languages have seen a growth in the percentage of the population that is truly bilingual, any family that makes the choice to raise their children bilingually will see greater results if they take active steps to both expose children to the language and create real opportunities for them to use the language on a daily basis. Best of luck to those of you who are fighting to give your children the wonderful gift of bilingualism!

This Summer’s Beach Activity: Sandpails, Shovels and Cuentos del mundo 2! 6 Jul 2010, 9:28 am

Following up on the success of the first volume of Cuentos del mundo, this week our latest book Cuentos del mundo 2 hits the shelves of bookstores all over Spain. This new book follows the same structure as the previous volume of Cuentos del mundo: twenty-five bilingual tales from around the world, with highlighted vocabulary words and exercises to help reinforce what you’ve learned. With Cuentos del mundo 2, students of all ages willl have a great time learning English through stories!

You can find all the details here (pdf).

As always, this new title is available in our on-line shop and in bookshops throughout Spain.

We hope you love it as much as we do!

Description:
Title: Cuentos del mundo 2
Authors: Sofía Sánchez Adalid and Ruta Viruta
Translation: William Lyon
ISBN: 978-84-92968-04-6
Pages: 84 pages
Collection: Cuentos del mundo
Size: 22 x 22 cm
Specifications: Softcover with flaps
Price w/VAT: 12.50 €

Blogging on Bilingualism Carnival 5 Jul 2010, 5:52 am

Are you raising bilingual children, teaching in a multilingual classroom or just plain interested in how young children become bilingual? The monthly blogging on bilingualism carnival is a great way to help connect bilingual families and communities from all over the world. This month’s fair is hosted by Sarah at Bringing Up Baby Bilingual. Click here for a great collection of  posts from bloggers around the world on their experiences, concerns, words of wisdom or hilarious anecdotes about raising bilingual children. See you there!

Sonajero Article 2 Jul 2010, 6:21 am

Today we published a short Spanish language article entitled “¿Por qué es tan importante leer a los niños?“, if you want to check it out here. Enjoy!

Ask Sinews: How Can I Teach My Child Three Languages? 1 Jul 2010, 4:41 am

image credit: going up, via flickr

I’m from Barcelona, and I’m bilingual in Catalan and Spanish. I currently live in Italy with my Italian husband, and we were wonder which languages we should speak to our future children, since all three of these Latin languages are very similar and we don’t know any other Catalan/Spanish speaking families here in Italy. I know that Spanish would be more useful, but I would hate for them to miss out on Catalan and all the stories, songs and games I know in Catalan. My husband speaks Spanish (more or less) and understands Catalan. Thanks for your help!

Dear Mommy,

What you’re expressing when you say “I would hate for them to miss out on Catalan and all the stories, songs and games I know in Catalan” is the reason why we always encourage parents to speak to their children in the language they’re most comfortable in. This is primarily due to emotional reasons. Language is so much more than signs and symbols–it’s the instrument we use to transmit culture, experiences and the affectionate exchange between parents and children. So we feel it’s not a good idea for you to feel forced into establishing a connection with your child through a language that doesn’t feel natural to you.

In order to respond to your specific questions and doubts and to better plan a strategy for your bilingual home, we should first discuss several things. Based solely on your question about which language each parent should speak, the One Parent One Language (OPOL) model would work well for your family. You could speak Catalan and your husband would speak Italian. In this way you can create an environment in which your child would learn both languages naturally and each parent would feel comfortable speaking his or her own language.

With regard to Spanish, I’m wondering which language you and your husband speak to each other. If you generally speak Spanish together, that would be a great way to expose your child to his third language. This would be a passive way for them to learn, since they would acquire sounds and words passively, which would make it easier to activate their use of Spanish when they need it. Learning two languages from the very beginning will make it easier for your child to learn a third language later on in life. If all three languages are romance languages (Latin roots), the process will be even more simple. In fact, the entire process of language acquisition (no matter which language we’re talking about) is incitially a passive experience which later becomes active.

If you and your husband don’t generally speak Spanish to each other, don’t worry about trying to change that. There are many ways to expose your child to a third language, so I think your first priority should be for each of you to use the language which allows you to communicate freely with your children. Your children can learn Spanish by traveling to Spanish speaking countries, attending summer camp in Spain, etc.

Above all, bear in mind that languages are learned as a result of motivation and the child’s need to communicate.

Good luck with your trilingual family!

Mariana Lombardo is an experienced children speech therapist. She does clinical work at SINEWS with bilingual familias in the expat community in Madrid. Mariana is in charge of the workshops for bilingual families offered by SINEWS and she also gives personalized speech therapy sessions to bilingual families. For more information, please visit www.sinews.es.

Cuentos del mundo 2 30 Jun 2010, 6:33 am

• Teaches English and Spanish through bilingual stories.
• 25 pages of English language exercises at the end of the book help language learners reinforce what they learn from each story.
• Appropriate for all ages.
• A fun, new language learning “method”.
• Second volume in a collection of bilingual stories.