DOMINIC W. MASSARO, editor
University of California, Santa Cruz

When Concepts Speak Louder Than Words

Foreign Language and Mother Tongue
By Istvan Kecskes and Tünde Papp. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2000. xxv + 148 pp. Cloth, $39.95.

There are many reasons for knowing a second or third language (Rosenthal, 2000). Many children worldwide are raised in bilingual or multilingual homes or cultures where the use of multiple languages for various purposes is the norm. The study of a second or third language may be an academic requirement in a particular school system. Young adults in high school and college recognize the value of speaking multiple languages as they prepare for careers in today’s global society. Moreover, the ability to function in more than one language provides access to academic, cultural, and leisure activities that may be of limited or of no appeal to the monolingual person. For immigrants, learning the language of their new country facilitates acculturation.