Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to another issue of Babel. In this issue, there is a focus on bilingualism and bilingual language teaching and learning. While semantic discussions about distinctions between bilingual, multilingual, plurilingual and even polylingual usefully continue in the research literature, all are about the use of more than one language (or translanguaged mixes of more than one) within at least one - and potentially many - cultural contexts of use. Bilingualism can be considered in relation to an individual, a small community or a whole society; indeed, even a diaspora, distributed around the world. Educationally, bilingualism is being argued as the way forward for ensuring all learners have access to multiple language and culture resources, can function in a multilingual and multicultural world, and, critically, recognise that this is the global norm rather than the exception. As Ofelia Garcia argues, bilingual education is 'the only way' to educate children in the 21st century (Garcia, 2009, p.5).