Lesson 1

Vocabulary

1. Match the words with the definitions.

1. bilingual a. able to speak two languages well
2. dominant e. who you are as a person
3. identity d. more important or noticeable
4. mother tongue g. the first language you learn as a baby
5. multicultural b. including people with many different customs and beliefs
6. multilingual f. able to speak a number of languages
7. raise c. to help a child grow up

Reading

2. Read the text quickly. Who is the article written for?

a. Teenagers who live in multilingual homes.
b. Parents of babies or young children who speak more than one language.
c. Bilingual grandparents.

3. Read the text again and answer the questions.

1. What are many parents in multicultural families keen to do? They are keen to make sure their children learn their mother tongue, the language of their parents.
2. What are two advantages of being bilingual? It improves some brain functions and provides a window to another culture.
3. What advice is given to parents whose first language is different from each other’s? They should talk to their children only in their first language.
4. What two issues might bilingual children experience? They might mix the two languages sometimes. They might start speaking a little later than other children.

Language

5. Study the words in the box. Match the words to form compound adjectives. Check in the text.

deep seated
widely spoken
well-known
well-balanced
clear cut