Are you bilingual? If so, you’re among nearly 1 in 5 people in the US who speak two or more languages. Indeed, most of the world’s population is bilingual or multilingual, with nearly 6,000 languages spoken across 195 nation states!
This newly approved general education course, titled “Life in Two Languages: Understanding Bilingual Communities and Individuals,” is designed to give students a deep and wide-ranging understanding of bilingualism by examining language diversity in society, families, individuals, and social policy.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- Your personal family language heritage and practices.
- Language ideologies related to multilingualism and persistent myths.
- The difference between simultaneous bilingualism and sequential bilingualism, first language acquisition and second language acquisition.
- Holistic bilingualism as a conceptual framework.
- Codeswitching (language mixing) as a typical bilingual practice.
- Conversational, discourse-theoretic, and grammatical dimensions of bilingual language mixing.
- The nature of bilingual first language acquisition in young children.
- Social forces underlying language shift and revitalization.
- Social and cognitive dimensions of language attrition, forgetting, and contract-induced language change.
- Heritage language speakers
- Bilingual and dual language education programs.
- The politics and politicization of multilingualism in the context of social and educational policies.
- Effective family language policy related to the development of multilingualism
For scheduling information, to view a draft of the course syllabus, or to enroll, visit the UMD Schedule of Classes. Learn more about the course instructor, Jeff MacSwan, but visiting his faculty page. Still have questions? Email Professor MacSwan at macswan@umd.edu.
