Life as a Bilingual

The reality of living with two (or more) languages.

Francois Grosjean Ph.D.

Giving up on Bilingualism, for a While at Least

Making sure that children in a family become bilingual and stay that way can be hard work. This tale started with linguistic disappointment and ended with linguistic success.

Understanding Someone With a Foreign Accent

We sometimes interact with a person who has a strong foreign accent. What impact does it have on our understanding of what is being said?

Change of Language, Change of Personality? Uncovered Data

A look at how monolinguals change their personality ratings depending on the context helps to demystify the change of personality issue in bilinguals.

Keeping My Four Cultures Alive

Over the course of my life, I have become a mosaic of four cultures. I now have the challenge of keeping them alive within me.

Those Amazing Special Bilinguals

Special bilinguals have a regular—and at times unique—relationship with their languages.

Recovering a Childhood Language Under Hypnosis

In close to 60 years, only three readily available studies have examined whether a forgotten childhood language can reappear under hypnosis. The results are truly fascinating.

Multilingual Aphasia: A Personal Testimony

Language and speech impairment due to brain damage is a very difficult experience some people have to live through. Here an aphasic patient gives us her personal testimony.

Understanding Language Loss

Languages can be acquired but they can also be lost. In this post, an expert on the topic of language attrition in bilinguals tells us about it.

Stuttering in Bilinguals: What We Know

Many aspects of stuttering in bilinguals are still being researched. Dr. Valerie Lim, a recognized stuttering specialist, helps us uncover the major issues.

The Bilingual Advantage: Three Years Later

The debate on the cognitive advantage of being bilingual rages on. Researcher Mark Antoniou helps us understand where things stand today.

How Those Incredible Interpreters Do It

Language interpreters accomplish one of the most difficult linguistic tasks humans can undertake.

How my Mother Lured Me into Multilingualism

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a mother convinced her daughter that foreign languages would open a window in the Iron Curtain.

Dyslexia, Bilingualism, and Learning a Second Language

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability. Yet we know very little about it when two or more languages are involved.

Helping Others Become Bilingual

Focused on our own language learning strategies, we rarely think about the role we play in the learning of others. How can we support our friends' language learning pursuits?

The Research Finding Some of Us Didn't Want to Believe

A very old research finding related to the slight delay that can occur in the perception of spoken code-switches by bilinguals has had a long and interesting life.

What Does It Mean to be a Multilingual Archeologist?

Rachel Mairs, an incredibly multilingual classicist and archeologist, offers insights into her language learning and field work.

When a Parent Is a Child's Only Language Source

Raising a bilingual child is a challenge when one parent is the only source of the second language. A father shares how he goes about it with his three-year old.

Passing for a Native Speaker, Part 2

The cult Israeli TV show Fauda offers surprising answers to the perennial question: Can adults ever pass for native speakers of a language they weren’t born into?

The Amazing Rise of Bilingualism in the United States

The United States has long been seen as a mostly monolingual country. Things have changed rapidly in 40 years, however, and now well over a fifth of the population is bilingual.

Life as a Bilingual II

The blog "Life as a bilingual" is more than seven years old and has been consulted by a large number of visitors. We look back on this wonderful adventure.

Are There Any Female Polyglots?

Some believe that women are better language learners and others say that there are more famous polyglots among men. Which is true?

When Bilinguals Borrow from One Language to Another

Many bilinguals borrow words from different languages. Dr. Shana Poplack, an expert on this phenomenon and the author of "Borrowing," tells us how this takes place.

Is Poetry Translatable?

Eugene Ostashevsky—a poet, translator, and scholar who lives and works in several languages—talks about the untranslatability of poetry.

Parents Who Fight for Bilingual Education

Groups of parents working with teachers and school officials have helped found dual-language programs in New York public schools. Dr. Fabrice Jaumont tells us about it.

What You Didn't Know About François Grosjean

François Grosjean started this blog in 2010 and more than 1.3 millions readers have visited it since then. But who is this rather discreet researcher known the world over?

Bilingual Infants Learning New Words

Young bilingual infants learn new words in their languages amazingly well. Dr. Krista Byers-Heinlein, an expert on bilingual language development, tells us how they do it.

Do Musicians Make Better Language Learners?

Do people with musical training have an easier time learning foreign languages? Or is it the other way around and it is our language experience that makes us better musicians?

Linguistic and Cultural Challenges of Foreign Correspondents

How do foreign correspondents navigate, linguistically and culturally, between the country they are working in and the country they are reporting to?

You are Never Too Old to Learn a New Language

What are the challenges and rewards of learning a new language? Ann Patty, author of "Living with a dead language: My romance with Latin", tells us about her recent experience.

Misunderstanding in the Multilingual Workplace

Today’s workplace increasingly brings together people from diverse language backgrounds. Is this multilingualism a threat in need of a solution or a par for the course?

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