Διγλωσσία και δίγλωσση εκπαίδευση: βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση

Abstract

This paper probes into the different facets of bilingualism and bilingual education and attempts to answer the question of who is bilingual and what is his/ her proficiency in both languages. In bilingualism, there seems not to be ‘one kind of bilingual’. Proficiency in both languages can vary widely among bilingual individuals, ranging from basic conversational skills to excellent linguistic skills and fluency in both languages. Bilingualism also varies from individual to individual as it is acquired through various means; bilingualism can start from birth but it can also emerge in later life through education and/or immersion, or a combination of both. Given the aforementioned, an attempt has been made in this literature review to delve into the dynamic, multifaceted, and complex phenomenon of bilingualism, through the examination of concepts such as simultaneous childhood bilingualism, sequential childhood bilingualism, balanced bilingualism, dominant bilingualism, unbalanced bilingualism, early bilingualism, emergent bilingualism, and so on.

Keywords

• bilingualism
• language proficiency
• mother tongue
• foreign/second language