Eleven critical issues in the study of bilingualism: Insightful analyses by renowned expert Francois Grosjean

The majority of people living around the world today are able to speak more than one language, yet many aspects of the nature and experience of bilingualism raise unresolved questions for researchers. Who exactly is bilingual? What is the extent of bilingualism? How do infant bilinguals who acquire two languages at the same time manage to separate them? Does language processing work differently when bilinguals are interacting with monolinguals and with bilinguals? When a speaker changes their language, do they also change aspects of their personality?

In The Mysteries of Bilingualism, eminent scholar Francois Grosjean provides a comprehensive examination of individual bilingualism that delves into unanswered questions and challenges many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding bilingualism. Through insightful analyses of eleven key questions, this book offers a unique combination of personal reflection, literature review, personal testimony, and case studies to explore these mysteries. Altogether, this text offers:

• Comprehensive explorations of the linguistic aspects of bilingualism, including who is bilingual, describing bilinguals, accented speech, and language loss
• Practical discussions of speech and language processing, including language choice and mixed speech perception and production
• In-depth examinations of personality and culture in relation to bilingualism and biculturalism

Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students of bilingualism, multilingualism, second language acquisition, and applied linguistics, The Mysteries of Bilingualism offers an up-to-date view of the leading research questions in the study of bilingualism today.

About the Author

Francois Grosjean is Professor Emeritus at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland. He is the author or co-author of many books on bilingualism, including The Psycholinguistics of Bilingualism (Wiley Blackwell, 2012; with Ping Li) and The Listening Bilingual: Speech Perception, Comprehension and Bilingualism (Wiley Blackwell, 2018; with Krista Byers-Heinlein). He is also the founder of the popular Psychology Today blog "Life as a Bilingual".

Reviews

"The Mysteries of Bilingualism is an engaging and user-friendly discussion of some of the significant issues surrounding bilingualism that have pre-occupied researchers and perplexed laypersons for many years."
-Fred Genesee (2022), Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

"In every respect, this book is a well-timed contribution to bilingualism. It highlights some pending questions about bilingualism, which shed light on future studies to explore the unsettled issues inthis domain."
-Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching

"The research problems surveyed in this book offer students of bilingualism and second language learning a guide for designing their own research program, one that keeps an eye on the pending questions. Practitioners will be well served by the review of recent work that updates ongoing projects from years past."
-Issues in Applied Linguistics, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp 22 - 29

"... this book should prove valuable for both novice and experienced researchers who are interested in an overall view of bilingualism or in one of the eleven issues that comprise the book."
-System, Volume 111, December 2022, 102947

"Francois Grosjean's renowned expertise in the world of bilingualism is on display in this welcome addition to the field."
-Linguist List, 34.518, 2023

"All in all, this is a rare, comprehensive overview of research accomplished, with clear pointers to research required, attesting to its author's immense erudition and lucid intelligence. It will no doubt impel even experienced researchers to review their approaches and methods."
-International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2023.2237638

Book Information
ISBN 9781119602378
Author Francois Grosjean
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 363g
Dimensions(mm) 246mm * 173mm * 13mm