week in links

Do Bilingual Children Know Fewer Words Than Monolinguals? from InCultureParent — If you’re raising bilingual children, you’ve probably heard this question a lot. Here’s some great info to dispel this myth. Why Are They Talking so Fast? by François Grosjean from Psychology Today — I have been told I’m guilty of doing this countless times by non-native Spanish speakers. In another excellent post, Prof. Grosjean explains why it feels like people talk faster in a language we don’t master well. Childhood concerns about her biculturalRead More ...

Bilingual Children Better at Math, Reading — In case you needed more proof that bilingual is better, a new study has found that bilingual kids “develop better working memory that holds and processes large chunks of information faster than monolinguals.” “I Want to Be Bilingual” Letter from a Newborn Baby from Bilingual Monkeys — I love this letter written from the point of view of a baby talking to his parents. If your baby could talk, this is what she wouldRead More ...

  Planned Bilingualism: Five Questions to Consider by François Grosjean from Psychology Today — Another useful article from Prof. Grosjean perfect for those just about to embark in the journey of raising a bilingual child. Surge in immersion programs spreads from the Star Tribune — In Minnesota, the number of dual language immersion programs has doubled since 2006 with a total of 85 at the elementary and middle school level, with some programs even in high school. Reading stories like this one is likeRead More ...

The magic words “make them learn English” from The Economist — Immigration reform was huge this week and with that came talk of whether undocumented immigrants on their path to American citizenship should be required to learn English. As long as they’re not prohibited from speaking their native language, the author says, and I couldn’t agree more. “The solution to this apparent conundrum is very simple: bilingualism. It’s a healthy thing that Americans have historically been too suspicious of.” The U.S. needs toRead More ...

Spanish is Second Most Used Language in Twitter from Fox News Latino — Amazing news considering that “60 percent of Latin Americans are still not on the Web.” Do you use Spanish in Twitter? I do! Mexican Teachers Adapt to their American Raised Students from PRI’s The World — A look at what’s happening on the other side of the border. As some Mexicans are going back home with their American-raised children who aren’t fluent in Spanish, Mexican teachers are struggling to communicate with themRead More ...