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Thanks for reading the Multilingual Books newsletter, your source for foreign language news, information, and product information and specials from Multilingual Books. This is also available as a web page at our website, www.multilingualbooks.com. In this issue:
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Bilingual Children Understand Written Languages Sooner Than Monolingual Children, Study Finds
Public release from eurekalert.org
When learning to read, many preschool age children recognize letters in alphabets (or characters in nonalphabet languages) long before they are able to read. Knowing a second language, according to the latest research on reading, can really help a child comprehend written languages faster and possibly learn to read more easily, reports the American Psychological Association's (APA) journal Developmental Psychology.
"Preschoolers who speak one language can usually recite the alphabet and spell their names but cannot read without the help of pictures. But bilingual preschoolers can read sooner because they are able to recognize symbolic relations between letters/characters and sounds without having visual objects," said psychologist Ellen Bialystok, Ph.D., of York University and author of the new study.
The study examined 137 bilingual (French & English and Chinese & English) and monolingual (English) four and five year olds, all of whom came from literacy-rich environments including the bilingual children in both languages. The children were given two word tests that assessed their "understanding of the symbolic function of the letters." Furthermore, "children who go beyond treating letters as visual objects and recognize the symbolic relation between letters and sounds are on their way to learning how to read," said Dr. Bialystok.
The first test involved showing the children a card with a word printed on it which was placed under a picture of the named object. The children were asked what the word was after the card was moved to another picture. The bilingual children scored twice as high on this test as the monolingual children.
"The bilingual children knew that the written form carried the meaning and that the picture was irrelevant. They understood this principle equally in both languages too. And, even though all the children's scores improved with age, the four-year-old bilinguals were better at this than the five-year-old monolinguals," said Dr. Bialystok.
"There are definite advantages to being bilingual when you are learning to read, providing that children are exposed to stories and literacy in both languages," Dr. Bialystok. "By four, bilingual children have progressed more than monolingual children in understanding general properties of the symbolic function of written language. By five, they are more advanced than monolinguals and bilinguals who have learned only one writing system in understanding specific representation properties, even in English."
"Learning a foreign language at a very young age can clearly benefit children's reading abilities and hopefully parents and educators can help to provide the resources for this to happen," said Dr. Bialystok.
See the full article at: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1997-05/APA-BCUW-120597.php
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FSI French 4 on CD
Multilingual Books is proud to announce our latest FSI (Foreign Service Institute) course CD release: FSI French 4! Our exclusive versions have the quality and convenience of a CD along with the top-notch language teaching methods that the Foreign Service is famous for. Each new version has been carefully digitally remastered for greatly improved sound quality as compared to the commonly available cassette courses and is exclusive to Multilingual Books. We now have the following FSI or DLI courses available on CD: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Cantonese, French, German, Hebrew, Iraqi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, and Thai. Plus, coming soon: Turkish and Greek! Find out more about our FSI courses at our
FSI page. Find out more about our French offerings at our French page.
New Language Littles Greek-speaking Doll - Alexa! These dolls are very cute but what makes them truly unique is their ability to introduce foreign language to children from preschool through grade school. Simply press one of the doll's hands and she will recite a series of "kid friendly" phrases like "hello", with a recorded human voice. Press the doll's other hand and she will count, recite colors, or days of the week. Press a heart on the doll's knee and she will respond by saying "I love you". We suggest the dolls as a good tool for beginners or as a reinforcement for any young learner. |
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Multilingual Books offers a wide range of children's products; check out our children's page for more ideas. Feel free to email any questions to us at or call us with your questions at 206-328-7922.
Top Products for September
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Last month's trivia questions and answers: The Summer Olympics are making a triumphant return to their origin in Athens, Greece. In honor of this event, please translate the following phoneticized common Greek phrases. For example: Elleeneeka – GreekYasou – Hello Tee-kana-te - How goes it? Pahrahkahlo - Please Seegnomee – Excuse me Meetera – Mother Meela – apple Agahapo – love Elinas! - Greek (masc., used as an exclamation of pride) Ahdiosas - Goodbye The winner of last month's contest is Lindsey M. Manduano. Congratulations and thanks to all the entrants! This month's trivia quiz: If you fly to Madagascar and you land in a busy city, you pick up a newspaper to see what's happening - what language would this be in? Your enjoying a refreshing beverage on the white sands of Barbados and you overhear some locals chatting - what language will they most likely be speaking? You are hiking through Andorra and happen upon an elderly couple selling some fruit. What language would you need to purchase a poma? You are taking in the beautiful sites of Nepa just outside the India border and some children are running by, you barely catch them speaking what language? Your company promotes you to its new office in Guinea - what European language might you want to study? Also, what is another handy language to know there? The answers and the winner will be in our next newsletter. Winner will receive their choice of one Talk Now or World Talk language CD-ROM! No purchase necessary to enter. E-mail your entry to:
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Foreign Newspapers Online
This month we are featuring the Multilingual Books online newspaper pages, featuring links to online news, magazines, journals and other electronic print formats from countries all over the world! Hundreds of publications are featured, each offering some or all of their content free online. Great for language learners or those wanting news from home or in their native language.
Check it out at https://www.multilingualbooks.com/online-newspapers.html.
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Save $100 on 4 Levels of FSI French - Plus FREE Bonus CD-ROMs!
Collins Bilingual Talking Dictionary Talk Now CD-ROM Courses Save $100 when you order all 4 levels of FSI French! Included as a special free bonus is the Talk Now French CD-ROM course AND the Collins French CD-ROM dictionary! Offer good for one week only, so act now! Use promo code MB-F4100-824 to receive this special. For ordering and more information, please visit our FSI page. |
 
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Save on 4 Levels of Platiquemos Spanish Course - Plus FREE Bonus CD-ROMs!
Platiquemos Spanish Course Order any 4 levels of Platiquemos for just $299 PLUS included as your FREE bonus - the Talk Now Spanish CD-ROM course AND the Collins Spanish CD-ROM dictionary! for one week only! Use promo code MB-P4299-824 to receive this special. Order today! |
  
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FREE Shipping on Talk Now and Tell Me More! Talk Now and World Talk CD-ROM Courses
Tell Me More Language Learning Software
For a limited time, get FREE shipping on Tell Me More, Talk Now and World Talk! Order today to save with our one week only newsletter special! Use promo code MB-TWF-824 to receive this special. |
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FREE Talk Now CD-ROM Bonus with Pimsleur Order!
Pimsleur Audio-Only Language Courses
This is a state-of-the-art language learning course. The popular Pimsleur course does not use a book but uses a completely aural approach to language learning, perfect for learning quickly. The course features a proficiency-based system that helps the student learn through listening and speaking practice.
For a limited time, receive your FREE bonus of the Talk Now CD-ROM course with any Pimsleur order! Save with our newsletter special for one week only! Use promo code MB-PTN-824 to receive this special. Order today! |
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