A Public Talk about Bilinguality

Do you wish your children to speak, read and write in more than one language? What happens when children speak two or more languages? How does the bilingual mind work?

To give families some support for the daily challenges of raising bilingual children, the Parent Association of Carrigaline Educate Together National School invites parents from the Carrigaline area to a public talk with the Bilingual Forum Ireland. Everyone is welcome on Thursday, December 10th, 8 pm at the primary school in Rosemount, Heron‛s Wood, Carrigaline.

The information talk by the Bilingual Forum Ireland will take about one hour and addresses families of children who speak two or more languages. Parents will get information on bilinguality, language development and issues such as code-mixing, parental strategies and children’s attitudes. After that there will be time for an open discussion and questions and answers relating to the experiences of multilingual families.

The Bilingual Forum Ireland is an association founded in September 2008 to give information on and create awareness of bilingualism and multilingualism.

„More than 160 languages are spoken in Ireland today. Next to the two official languages, Irish and English, Ireland has some other native languages, including Ulster Scots, Irish Sign language and Gammon or Cant”, explains Francesca La Morgia, founder and chairperson of the Forum. „In our multicultural society, an increasing number of children grow up speaking two or more languages. Facing the reality of multilingualism, many parents wonder if they handle bilinguality “the right way”, and teachers seek support to deal with multilingualism in their classrooms.”

Admission to the event is free. Donations will go to the Bilingual Forum Ireland. More information on the Forum can be found on www.bilingualforumireland.com.

10th December 2009 - CETNS