Answer to Question #163315 in English for Sphephile Ntuli

Question

Identify a reading book that you believe will be suitable for an Intermediate FAL class. Write a review of the text and then explain why you would prescribe it. Addresses social issues and so on. Your answer should not exceed 800 words.

Answer 1

Baker, Colin, Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1996. Multilingual Matters.

The book is titled 'Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism' written by Colin Baker. It addresses salient issues associated with bilingual education. This, he argues, is because of the increasing awareness of bilingualism, even more relevant now because of how normal it has become. Examples are given such as of the bilingual system in New Zealand, where both English and Maori are official languages, and now also the New Zealand sign language. The book is useful especially in an introductory lesson for explaining why it is necessary to learn another language for the benefits and convenience it brings. 

The book has 18 chapters divided in two sections. Section A considers the theories of bilingualism as well as the process of acquiring a second language. Throughout the chapters Baker discusses types of bilingualism and how they are assessed, departing from the conventional self-assessment and instead taking a more practical, communicative and interactive approach. He also discusses the relation between language and society. He argues that a bilingual is influenced to speak one language over another by societal forces. He states that it is an advantage to be bilingual although he also points out that the second language may subtract from the knowledge of the first one. This he particularly related to English, which he states has contributed to the decline of appreciation and the use of native tongue and home language that is not English, and by extension culture. 

Section A further discusses theories of second language acquisition , with an analysis of the socio-psychological aspect of it. Baker further discusses models of learning such as the Krashen's Monitor Model and the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach 1987, a method that is now used in many schools in the US. He also takes note of reasons or motivating factors for students to take up a second language such as identifying with the host community or simply for their enjoyment. Chapters 8 to 10 then dispel the myths that are associated with bilingualism as well as address the problems of cultural bias when testing intelligence, and relates these to how they affect acquisition of second languages.

Section B is more involved with the practise of teaching a second language. Here, Baker gives a detailed presentation on the different approaches taken by different educational systems towards teaching a second language and bilingualism in general. In chapter 13 he discusses the benefits of learning or rather teaching minority languages to students for the awareness, exposure, empowerment and biliteracy that it creates among the teachers and learners. Baker also discusses learning and teaching strategies that are and that could be adopted. He puts forth a four part “input-output-context-process" approach to learning a second language. 

Baker leads up to his conclusion by discussing the political aspect of language. His argument is that the language beliefs of a country, stem from their attitude towards diversity. When there are minority groups, particularly sidelined or discriminated against by the government, this extends to all aspects of their culture, including their language. The government will lean more towards the majority language group at the expense of the minorities. By assimilating the majority language, there is a gradual erosion of the country’s peculiar cultures which can be sourced from the minority groups if only they are acknowledged and preserved. He stresses the need to promote multiculturalism and combat racism, with bilingualism as the tool for this end. 

The book is very informative and detailed on the theme of bilingualism. The topics are well researched and even better presented through words, charts, graphs, tables etc. However, of particular importance is it’s repeated highlighting of the socio-political relatedness to bilingualism, for it’s nexus with culture and race.