Current Issues in Bilingualism: Cognitive and Socio-linguistic Perspectives [Hardcover]

As populations become more mobile, so interest grows in bi- and multilingualism, particularly in the context of education. This volume focuses on the singular situation in Israel, whose complex multiculturalism has Hebrew and Arabic as official languages, English as an academic and political language, and tongues such as Russian and Amharic spoken by immigrants.

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Presenting research on bi- and trilingualism in Israel from a multitude of perspectives, the book focuses on four aspects of multilingualism and literacy in Israel: Arabic-Hebrew bilingual education and Arabic literacy development; second-language Hebrew literacy among immigrant children; literacy in English as a second/third language; and adult bilingualism. Chapters dissect findings on immigrant youth education, language impairment in bilinguals, and neurocognitive features of bilingual language processing. Reflecting current trends, this volume integrates linguistics, sociology, education, cognitive science, and neuroscience.

Current Issues in Bilingualism focuses on the language situation in Israel -- a country where Hebrew and Arabic are official languages, English is an academic and political language, and Russian, Amharic, etc., are spoken by immigrants -- to illustrate concepts applicable in a broader scope.

Introduction by Mark Leikin, Mila Schwartz, and Yishai Tobin .- Part I. Language and Literacy in Multilingual Society. Chapter 1. Relevance of the Linguistic Coding Difference Hypothesis to English as an? Additional Language of Literacy in Israel by Janina Kahn-Horwitz, Richard L. Sparks, and Zahava Goldstein . Chapter 2.? Literacy Reflexes of Arabic Diglossia by Elinor Haddad . Chapter 3. Multilingualism Among Israeli Arabs, and the Neuropsychology of Reading in Different Languages by Zohar Eviatar and Raphiq Ibrahim .- Part II. Academic Achievement of Children Coming from Immigrant Families. Cl3¦