[The language pathways of the children of migrants, pluralist bilingualism]

Abstract

The children of migrants are said to be 'bilingual' as they grow up in a cultural and linguistic plurality. However, bilingualism is a complex notion which encompasses multiple definitions and very diverse bilingual family configurations. It is therefore difficult to establish developmental norms of balanced bilingualism. The notion of a language pathway seems to take into account more the creative process leading to the plurality of the bilingual configurations. Indeed, the bilingualism of the children of migrants is always a unique process in constant movement, the result of the unpredictability of the "metissage" of their cultural affiliations.

Keywords: bilingualism; bilinguisme; child; clinique transculturelle; enfant; language pathway; migrant; parcours langagier; transcultural clinic; transmission.