The University of Edinburgh has launched a new scheme to raise awareness the benefits for children with two languages.

Bilingualism Matters is a one-stop shop for families looking for information and advice on using multiple languages in everyday life, along with its challenges and benefits.

A recent government survey highlighted that bilingualism in Scotland is on the increase, with more than 100 languages being spoken. The new service, claims university experts, will help to inform the public of the advantages of bilingualism and encourage both families and teachers to support children’s development of multiple languages.

Antonella Sorace, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences said: “In many parts of the world it is common for children to be exposed to two or even more languages right from birth but bilingualism is a relatively new phenomenon in most of Europe. As a consequence there is a lack of information and support on the benefits of bilingualism – our aim is to bridge that gap.

“Some families are concerned with issues such as how bilingualism may affect their child’s achievement in school; others are keen to raise their child as bilingual, but don’t know how to do this – these are some of the issues with which we can help.”

Bilingualism Matters is a free resource which is co-sponsored by the RSA Scotland (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and part-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).