Chapter 10: Bilingualism is not the Arithmetic Sum of Two Languages

No language develops apart from its physical and social context. Our understanding of language development continues to expand in its utilization of diverse theories of linguistics, cognition, and socialization (August & Hakuta, 1997). What was once considered the study of habits (Skinner, 1957) and innate structures (Chomsky, 1959) has become, today, an interlocking study of linguistic, psychological, and social domains, each independently significant but converging in a singular attempt to reconstruct the nature of the communicative experience (Garcia, 2001a). It is this multifaceted phenomenon that confronts a parent and educator when addressing the tasks of “teaching” language in homes and classrooms. For the educator of bilingual students, the issues related to languages of communication become particularly important.