In this episode, Rachael McKinstry interviews Macquarie University PhD candidate Livia Gerber about an article on family language policy she has co-written with Professor Ingrid Piller.

Piller, I., & Gerber, L. (2018). Family language policy between the bilingual advantage and the monolingual mindset. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2018.1503227

0:30 Is simultaneous bilingualism as superior as it is generally considered to be by parents. Simultaneous versus consecutive bilingualism.

1:50 Language as a commodity. How bilingual speakers develop different competencies over time and why.

7:19 How parents influence a child’s language and “Code Switching” in multilingual and bilingual communities.

13:04 Does bilingualism hider English proficiency or cause speech delay?

14:56 The academic and economic benefits of bilingualism versus the cognitive and sociocultural benefits. The role and influence of the government versus parents.

18:58 The gaps in this research which need to be researched further.

The article can be accessed at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13670050.2018.1503227

You can read more about this topic at the Research Blog that Livia contributes to: http://www.languageonthemove.com/