Power, Prestige and Bilingualism: International Perspectives on Elite Bilingual Education (Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Volume 35)

This book describes a particular type of educational provision referred to as ‘elite’ or ‘prestigious’ bilingual education, which caters mainly for upwardly mobile, highly educated, higher socio-economic status learners of two or more internationally useful languages. The development of different types of elite bilingual or multilingual educational provision is discussed and an argument is made for the need to study bilingual education in majority as well as in minority contexts.

Most writing on bilingual education focuses on linguistic minority groups or on language revitalization programs. In this text, however, De Mejía (linguistics, Universidad de Valle, Cali, Colombia) examines elite bilingual programs designed mainly for upwardly mobile, highly educated, higher socio-economic status learners of two or more internationally useful languages. Coverage includes an overview of the notions of elite bilingualism and bilingual education as a world phenomenon, and an examination of ways in which bilingualism and bilingual education have developed in different areas of the world. For teachers, students and researchers in bilingual education. Distributed by UTP Distribution. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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Most writing on bilingual education focuses on linguistic minority groups or on language revitalization programs. In this text, however, De Mej