For complete bibliographic details on the assigned papers, see the Readings page.
UNIT 1: General Linguistic Assumptions about Language and Language Learning and Emerging Bilingualism
Session 1
Introduction to class
Session 2
Reading: Chomsky, “A Review of B.F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior”
Writing assignment #1 handed out.
Session 3
Reading: Edwards, “Bilingualism and Multilingualism: Some Central Concepts”
Session 4
Reading: Lei, “Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Bilingualism and Multilingualism Research”
Unit 2: The Bilingual Infant and Child
Session 5
Reading: Kuhl, “Early Language Acquisition: Cracking the Speech Code”
Session 6
Reading: Oller et al., “Development of Precursors to Speech in Infants Exposed to Two Languages”
First version of writing assignment #1 due. Hand in a hard copy in class and submit an online version via the class website.
Session 7
Reading: Thordardottir, “The Typical Development of Simultaneous Bilinguals”
Session 8
Reading: Genesee and Nicoladis, “Bilingual First Language Acquisition”
Session 9
Reading: Mishino-Mori, “Language Differentiation of the Two Languages in Early Bilingual Development”
Unit 3: The Bilingual Brain
Session 10
Reading: Obler et al., “Cerebral Lateralization in Bilinguals: Methodological Issues”
Session 11
Reading: Abutalebi et el., “The Bilingual Brain as Revealed by Functional Neuroimaging”
Revision of assignment #1 due. Hand in a hard copy in class and submit an online version via the class website.
Session 12
Readings: Ijalba et al., “Bilingual Aphasia: Theoretical and Clinical Considerations” and Kim et al., “Distinct Cortical Areas Associated with Native and Second Language”
Assignment #2 handed out.
Unit 4: Grammar of Code-Switching
Session 13
Reading: Poplack, “Sometimes I’ll Start a Sentence in Spanish Y TERMINO EN ESPAÑOL”
Session 14
Reading: MacSwan, “Code-Switching and Grammatical Theory”
Session 15
Reading: Yow et al., “Code-Switching in Childhood”
Assignment #2 due. Hand in a hard copy in class and submit an online version via the class website.
Session 16
Readings: Berent, “Sign Language–Spoken Language Bilingualism and the Derivation of Bimodally Mixed Sentences” and Paradis et al., “Code-Mixing in Bilingual Development”
Assignment #3 handed out.
Unit 5: Sociolinguistic Dimensions of Bilingualism
Session 17
Readings: Ritchie and Bhatia, “Social and Psychological Factors in Language Mixing” and Fishman, “Who Speaks What Language to Whom and When?”
Session 18
Readings: Ferguson, “Diglossia” and Fishman, “Bilingualism with and without Diglossia: Diglossia with and without Bilingualism”
Unit 6: Executive Function in Bilinguals
Session 19
Reading: Yang et al., “Early Childhood Bilingualism Leads to Advances in Executive Attention: Dissociating Culture and Language”
Session 20
Individual meetings to discuss final project
Session 21
Reading: Valian, “Bilingualism and Cognition: A Focus on Mechanisms”
Session 22
Reading: Craik et al., “Delaying the Onset of Alzheimer Disease: Bilingualism as a Form of Cognitive Reserve”
Assignment #3 due. Hand in a hard copy in class and submit an online version via the class website.
Unit 7: Bilingual Education and Language Policies
Session 23
Reading: Mackey, “Bilingualism and Multilingualism in North America”
Session 24
Reading: Wright, “Bilingual Education”
Session 25
TBD
Unit 8: Wrapping Up
Session 26
Class presentations
Session 27
Class presentations
Session 28
Last day of classes
Final papers due.
