No abstract

Bilingualism is not a phenomenon of language; it is a characteristic of its use. It is not a feature of the code but of the message. It does not belong to the domain of “langue” but of “parole.”If language is the property of the group, bilingualism is the property of the individual. An individual’s use of two languages supposes the existence of two different language communities; it does not suppose the existence of a bilingual community. The bilingual community can only be regarded as a dependent collection of individuals who have reasons for being bilingual. A self-sufficient bilingual community has no reason to remain bilingual, since a closed community in which everyone is fluent in two languages could get along just as well with one language. As long as there are different monolingual communities, however, there is likelihood of contact between them; this contact results in bilingualism.

No abstract

What is needed for planning and research in bilingual education is not more and better definitions but a simple and complete typology based on the only common denominator—the use of two or more languages. The distribution of these languages throughout the entire learning environment (structured and unstructured) is the basis of this typology. The languages are distributed in time and space (home‐school‐area‐nation). This distribution generates a number of basic patterns. The structured distribution within the school covering a given length of the schooling time produces curriculum patterns based on: medium (single vs. dual) maintenance, transfer (acculturation vs. irredentism) and transition (gradual vs. abrupt). Each of these patterns exists in two sorts of relationships—the school‐home relation and the school‐environment (area and nation) relation. Five types of school‐home relation and nine types of school‐environment relation, coupled with the curriculum patterns, cover all theoretically possible types. This would provide a framework within which measurements of the status and function of the languages used and of the distance between them would facilitate planning, research, and comparison.

What is needed for planning and research i n bilingual education is not more and better definitions but a simple and complete typology based o n the only common denominator-the use of two or more languages. The distribution of these languages throughout the entire learning environment (structured and unstructured) is the basis of this typology. The languages are distributed in time and space (homeschool-area-nation). This distribution generates a number of basic patterns. The structured distribution within the school covering a given length of the schooling time produces curriculum patterns based ~~ on: medium (single vs. dual) maintenance, transfer (acculturation us. irredentism) and transition (gradual us. abrupt). Each of these patterns exists i n two sorts of relationships-the school-home relation and the school-environment (area and nation) relation. Five types of school-home relation and nine types of school-environment relation, coupled with the curriculum patterns, cover all theoretically possible types. This would provide a framework within which measurements of the status and function of the lan. guages used and of the distance between them would facilitate planning, research, and comparison.