The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language

Kendall King · Alison Mackey

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

“An easy-to-use treasure trove of information” for parents who want to help their children learn a new language (Deborah Tannen, PhD, New York Times–bestselling author of You Just Don’t Understand).

Parents spend millions of dollars every year on classes, computer programs, and toys, all of which promise to help children learn a second language. They want their kids to have the lifelong cultural and intellectual advantages that come from being bilingual—but many of their best efforts (and investments) end in disappointment.

In The Bilingual Edge, Georgetown linguistics professors and parents Kendall King and Alison Mackey wade through the hype and provide clear insights into what actually works. No matter what your language background is—whether you never passed high school Spanish or you speak Mandarin fluently—King and Mackey will help you:

• select the language that will benefit your child the most
• find materials and programs that will assist your child in achieving fluency
• identify your family’s unique traits and use them to maximize learning

Fancy private schools and expensive materials aren’t needed. Instead, The Bilingual Edge translates the latest research into interactive strategies and quick tips that even the busiest parents can use.

About the author

Kendall King, Ph.D., and Alison Mackey, Ph.D. are linguistics professors at Georgetown University. Between them, they have written nearly a hundred research articles and books on bilingualism and language teaching methods. Also, they are both parents, teaching their children more than one language.