Chapter 8. Metalinguistic awareness in bilinguals

The goal of this chapter is to outline Ellen Bialystok’s contribution to our understanding of metalinguistic awareness development. We start by describing both her work in the field and her cognitive framework that outlines the components (i.e., linguistic analysis & control) needed to successfully perform metalinguistic tasks. We then describe the impact of this theoretical approach on subsequent research on metalinguistic awareness in bilinguals and monolinguals. Finally, we outline how direct instruction in metalinguistic awareness can be informed by considering the importance of developing both linguistic analysis and control in the classroom.