Ever more people are being confronted with the question of bilingualism and the different opinions and varying advice offered by both laymen and specialists have often led to confusion and apparent contradictions. Bilingualism: Basic Principles is designed to provide a clear introductory guide to the fascinating queries that arise in connection with what is involved in knowing more than one language and the effect this has on the personality. The book underlines the normality of speaking and using more than one language in everyday life and dispels of the myths and fears propagated too often by people who know only one language. Drawing on his own experience as a bilingual and considerable research in different types of bilingual environments, Professor Baetens Beards-more provides a readable text which should be of interest not only to the specialist in languages but also to parents, educators and policy makers involved in trying to understand the effects on human behaviour of knowing more than one language.