MIXED COUPLES, BILINGUAL CHILDREN – BILINGUALISM IN THE FAMILY, IDENTITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES
MIXED COUPLES, BILINGUAL CHILDREN – BILINGUALISM IN THE FAMILY, IDENTITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES

Summary/Abstract: Bilingualism is still at the heart of the debates; we define several types (early, simultaneous, consecutive, late, compound, additive, neutral, subtractive) and we begin to agree that a perfect mastery of both languages is not possible. The bilingual child or adult benefits from these advantages, but he must also overcome the disadvantages of his status. The family has an important role in the transmission of a language; it is necessary the will of the parents, especially the mothers, and rules inside the house for the use of the codes are needed. The parents use real language strategies. Bilingualism has consequences on the identity and cultural level, because words are linked to our intimate existence and our personal history. At the social level, the principle “one language, one people” has not always imposed itself; today there are still differences between the different linguistic communities that coexist, because language is not only a tool of communication, but also a vision of the world, an image of oneself, an object to be defended. Despite the language policies of the European Commission, national education systems are less prepared for linguistic diversity. In a still standardizing society, bicultural identity seems to have become a reality that should be accepted as enriching, without attaching negative representations to it.

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