Hints for parents raising a child bilingually

This is an interesting site I found on a friend's page. The tips the mothers came up with are nice and empirical. Definitely worth reading it.

Filhos bilíngues

Do bilingual children NECESSARILY start speaking later?

Recently I have been to congresses and conferences in which the well-established view that bilingual children ALWAYS start speaking late might constitute a fallacy. No one has presented a paper on it, but I came across this article by a researcher interested in the matter. I highly recommend reading it. I also found out through observation of bilingual children that there are SOME (yes, some!) processes of language development. Some kids will start babbling, producing sounds, syllables and then words, others will start humming and will bring in words later.The process is not so cut-and-dry... Click on the link to the article:

bilingualism and language delay

I also recommend reading this Q-A between a specialist in bilingualism and a concerned teacher. The context is that the language delay might be connected to bilingualism and the concern seems to be: "is it language delay or autism?"
Before reading the article, it is important to make it clear to all: there is NO EVIDENCE whatsoever that bilingualism or multilingualism CAUSE language disorders such as autism (which is genetically driven). I have not yet come across any studies which show such evidence. Any "opinions" by professionals connecting language disorders to bilingualism results from sheer lack of information. ALWAYS look for a second opinion, preferably from a professional who understands the context of bilingualism/multilingualism.

Bilingualism and language disorders

Pesquisas em Bilinguismo e Aquisição de L2 - UNIFESP

Aos alunos e interessados que escreveram no blog perguntando sobre cursos e grupos de estudo, informo que iniciarei um grupo de estudos "Pesquisas em Bilinguismo e Aquisição de Língua Dois" (PeBALD) na Universidade Federal de São Paulo em 01 de março de 2013. Os encontros devem ocorrer sempre na 1a sexta de todo mês às 18h. Os interessados em participar, por favor escrevam para mim no email marcello.unifesp@gmail.com

Phonemic Sounds

Here is a nice site to listen to the sounds of both British and American English. The symbols used are those of the IPA.

http://www.antimoon.com/how/pronunc-soundsipa.htm

Changing a First Language Permanently

Is it possible to change one's first language? What are the implications? In order to approach such a question, one needs to have a clear definition of mother tongue, first language, second language, stronger language, dominant language, etc. If you feel interested, see what Grosjean has to say about it.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201210/changing-first-language-permanently

The Psycholinguistics of Bilingualism

Here's the link to an excellent blog with very relevant issues on bilinguals and language acquisition from a psycholinguistic point of view. François Grosjean, a most renowned researcher in the area, addresses questions that we all have asked ourselves, as either bilinguals or researchers.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201210/the-psycholinguistics-bilingualism

Bilingualism and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Para quem se interessa por questões de aquisição bilíngue e disturbios da fala:

"Parents also reported concerns around choosing bilingualism for their children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders), such as lack of services and supports and concerns about whether their children would be able to learn two languages. Children with ASD exposed to two languages were often reported to be acquiring their languages of exposure, albeit to varying degrees."

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-6984.2011.00071.x/pdf

Lingua Inglesa II - UNIFESP

For my Lingua Inglesa II students: here are some interesting sites to help you with the learning of phonetics and phonology.
1) How to do a Cockney accent
2) Comparing sounds
3) Listen to different accents