Repository in the form of questions and answers on bilingualism in general and, in particular, bilingualism in Deaf children. Geared both to parents and professionals in education or speech therapy, it provides scientifically supported data to help judge the child’s situation and make the most appropriate decisions. 

The repository includes 21 questions presented in CSL (Catalan Sign Language), with text in Catalan, Spanish, and English:

• What does it mean to be bilingual?
• Does everyone agree about what bilingualism really is?
• Why are some children bilingual?
• Are all bilinguals equally bilingual?
• Is there a way to determine a person’s level of bilingualism?
• How can I know if my child has the optimum level of bilingualism?
• In our household we speak a language that is not the majority language our child will find at school. Is it better for him if we speak in the majority language?
• At home, we as parents speak different languages, must we choose only one or the other when speaking to our child?
• Will it be more difficult for my child to learn to speak if we teach him two languages?
• We don’t know sign language and our child is deaf: would it be helpful to him if we learnt it?
• If we as parents do not know sign language, how can we create a rich environment in this language for our child?
• How much exposure to a language does our child need in order to acquire it?
• What can happen if we do not take into account that a person is bilingual?
• What is the best linguistic environment for a bilingual child?
• What is it that makes us bilinguals sometimes communicate in one language and sometimes in the other?
• Are there any advantages to being bilingual?
• Are there any disadvantages to being bilingual?
• Is it the same to be bilingual with two oral languages versus bilingual with one oral and one sign language?
• How might being bilingual with an oral and a sign language be beneficial to my deaf child?
• Is it better to wait for deaf children to acquire an oral language before introducing sign language?
• Does acquiring sign language as a first language ensure the acquisition of oral language?

LANGUAGE: Catalan, Spanish, English, Sign Language

URL: https://www.upf.edu/web/lsc-lab/faqs-bilinguisme