Michael BARR    Department   Kyoto Junior College of Foreign Languages  , Department of English Studies for Careers    Position   Associate Professor
Language	English
Publication Date	2009/03
Type	Academic Paper
Invitation	Invited paper
Title	Raising Children in a Bilingual Environment: Techniques and Topics Related to Bilingual Education
Contribution Type	Single author
Journal	Higashiyama Kenkyu-Kyou
Journal Type	Japan
Publisher	Higashiyama Kenkyu-Kyou
Volume, Issue, Page	53,pp.47--65
Author and coauthor	Michael D. Barr
Details	This paper summarizes and explains various techniques and theories about childhood bilingualism, with a particular focus on the inherent challenges and solutions particular to the raising of English/Japanese bilingual children in Japan. The first issue to be explored is the question of what 'bilingual' actually means, followed by an explanation of the nature of language learning. Factors that influence the success of bilingual education, such as valorization and common fears of bilingual 'interference', are highlighted, and then studies of bilingual subjects are described in detail. More recent studies suggest advantages rather of bilingualism. Different types of bilinguals are explained, followed by an exploration of how the bilingual processes information. Simultaneous acquisition and childhood bilingual development are shown to lead to natural and full functioning in more than one language.