The Handbook of Bilingualism

“In the diverse and complex field of bilingualism this Handbook is a welcome new resource. Combining a presentation of fundamental issues with a wide sampling of offerings by major scholars actively pursuing many areas related to bilingualism, it provides the teacher, student, researcher, or lay reader with a valuable foundation in the field. The Handbook is especially welcome now, as the issues which underlie the collection are exceptionally current.” Barbara C. Lust, Cornell University

“A comprehensive account of bilingualism from different perspectives complemented by a carefully selected sample of case studies. From the point of view of the star–studded list of contributors, range of topics, and depth of treatment, it is difficult to think of any other study that can be a match for this volume. The book should be compulsory reading for scholars and students in all language–related disciplines.” Ayo Bamgbose, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

“From case studies of bilingualism in different parts of the globe, to socio–psychological discussions of bilinguals language repertoires at the societal level, to psycholinguistic and neurocognitive investigations of bilingualism and biliteracy at the level of the individual, this comprehensive, multidisciplinary compendium of state–of–the–art overviews by prominent scholars in the field, ably edited by Bhatia and Ritchie, will be an invaluable resource for students, educators, and researchers of bi– and multilingualism for years to come.” Jyotsna Vaid, Texas A&M University

The Handbook of Bilingualism provides state–of–the–art treatments of the central issues that arise in consideration of the phenomena of bilingualism ranging from the representation of the two languages in the bilingual individual′s brain to the various forms of bilingual education, including the status of bilingualism in each area of the world.