Bilingualism Matters: Language Learning Across the Lifespan

What happens in the brain when learning a second language? Can speaking more than one language provide cognitive benefits over a lifetime? What implications does an increase in bilingualism have for society? And what are the factors that can promote and support bilingualism in children and adults?

This book – a translated and adapted version of Il Cervello Bilingue (2020) by Maria Garraffa, Antonella Sorace, and Maria Vender – answers these questions and more, providing the reader with a comprehensive yet concise guide on different topics related to bilingualism.

Published in paperback today by Cambridge University Press, it discusses recent research findings of internationally conducted studies, explains terminology, and elaborates on the current state of the field, with the aim of providing families and society with suggestions about how to encourage bilingualism. Written in an engaging and accessible style, it takes both academics and readers with no prior knowledge of the field on a journey into the bilingual brain.

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• Maria Garraffa is Associate Professor in Psycholinguistics at the University of East Anglia and Honorary Fellow of Bilingualism Matters. Her research has contributed to the promotion of language learning across the lifespan.
• Antonella Sorace is Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. She is the founding director of the organization Bilingualism Matters, which has branches all over the world.
• Maria Vender is Assistant Professor in Educational Linguistics at the University of Verona. Her research interests cover the domains of language acquisition and processing in typical, atypical and bilingual contexts.