Description
Book SynopsisThe book describes how a trilingual child in the Basque Country, where Spanish and Basque are the languages of the community, is able to successfully acquire English at home through interaction with her mother. It focuses on her acquisition of the form and function of English questions.
Trade ReviewAll those of us interested in multilingualism have had to wait a long time for a thorough account of trilingual language acquisition similar to those studies in child bilingualism that have become classics. Julia Barnes’ book fills this gap admirably. It is meticulously researched, abounds with primary data and offers many new insights. It will be warmly welcomed by those concerned with the natural acquisition and development of more than one language in both monolingual and multilingual contexts.
-- Charlotte Hoffmann, University of Salford, UK
‘Early trilingualism’ is a fascinating book which breaks new ground in the study of multilingualism. It is clearly organized, and presents an in-depth analysis of form and function in early questioning behaviour. It should be of great interest not only to researchers in language acquisition and multilingualism but also to all those interested in pragmatics, sociolinguistics and child development.
-- Jasone Cenoz, University of the Basque Country
This volume adds to the growing body of literature on trilingualism and will be of great interest to scholars in language acquisition.
-- Llorenç Comajoan, University of Vic * Studies in Second Language Acquisition 30:1 (March 2008) *
Julia Barnes’ book is a welcome addition to the very interesting series on second language acquisition edited by David Singleton. The book is well written, clearly organised and presents an in-depth analysis of very rich data gathered over almost two years.
-- Christine Hélot, Université Marc Bloch Strasbourg * Language, Culture and Curriculum 20:1 *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part 1: Theoretical Perspectives
Chapter 1. Bilingual and Trilingual Acquisition
Chapter 2. The Development of Interrogative Behaviour
Part II: The Acquisition of English Question Form and Function in a Trilingual Child
Chapter 3. Research Questions and Design
Chapter 4. Research Findings
Chapter 5. Interpretation of the Findings
References
