How youngsters learn to bien parler

McGill experts weigh in on teaching language, developing bilingualism early on and improving literacy

No one can argue that being bilingual isn't an asset. But at what age should one learn a second language?

"There is a fairly widespread belief, even in a setting like Montreal where lots of kids grow up bilingually, that there are costs associated with learning two languages," says Dr. Fred Genesee, Professor of Psychology at McGill. In extreme cases, says Genesee, people may even believe bilingualism is the reason some children are language-impaired.

Research, however, suggests otherwise.

This May, learn more about raising bilingual children and other critical issues in children's language development, as McGill University's Centre for Research on Language, Mind and Brain presents the LOLA (Lectures on Language Acquisition) Series. Each week, a prominent McGill researcher and member of the Centre will address a topic in child language acquisition, presenting the latest research on early language learning, bilingualism, immersion teaching methods and reading skill enhancement.

The LOLA line-up is as follows:

May 6 - Talking to Toddlers: How to Maximize Language Learning in Young Children Presented by Dr. Susan Rvachew and Mahchid Namazi from McGill's School of Communication Sciences and Disorders

May 13 - Raising Children Bilingually Presented by Dr. Fred Genesee and Caroline Erdos from the Dept. of Psychology

May 20 - Two for one? Learning A Second Language Through Content Presented by Dr. Roy Lyster from the Dept. of Integrated Studies in Education

May 27 - Teaching the World to Read: Understanding Literacy and Helping Effectively Presented by Dr. Robert Savage from the Dept. of Education and Counselling Psychology

All lectures are free of charge and will be held at 7 p.m. at the Bronfman Building, 1001 Sherbrooke St. W., Room 151.

The Centre for Research on Language, Mind and Brain (CRLMB), is a multidisciplinary research centre that aims to promote excellence in speech and language research, for the community, the clinic and the classroom. The Centre brings together researchers and scholars from a variety of disciplines, faculties, and departments at McGill, l'Université du Québec à Montréal, l'Université de Montréal and Concordia University whose research focuses on the unique neurobiological and social endowment of language.

For more information, please visit:
http://crlmb.mcgill.ca/lola/index.html