International Journal of Bilingual
Education and Bilingualism
Editor: Colin Baker, University of Wales, Bangor
Review Editor: Aneta Pavlenko, Temple University, Philadelpia
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Volume: 5 Number: 3 Page: 162–181
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The Recovery of a First Language: A Case Study of an English/Spanish Bilingual Child
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Angela Uribe de Kellett
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This paper explores the process of language recovery in an English-Spanish bilingual six year old child. One of the first languages of the child had become passive, that is she was able to understand what
was said to her in Spanish but she was no longer able to speak it. On a subsequent visit to a Spanish-speaking country data were gathered to piece together the process of her recovery of the production
abilities in the language. This paper documents the rapid process of recovery that took place and, based on these results, considers the value of maintaining 'passive bilingualism' in children and examines
the strategy employed by the family to achieve this. The paper contributes to the study of the language development of the bilingual and documents language change in progress. It also provides a positive
alternative approach to maintaining bilingualism in children in contrast to the more 'strict/purist' line advocated in the literature on bilingualism.
© Multilingual Matters 2002
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