Reviewed by Marián Sloboda, Charles University

This book suitably complements a number of handbooks dealing with bi- and multilingualism that are currently on the market. It is a guide, rather than a handbook, in the true sense of the word. It is characterized by a didactic style of writing and chapters include summaries of the main ideas, concluding with often annotated or sorted references to other literature and electronic sources, including software.

In seventeen of total twenty-two chapters, the book guides the reader through a number of methodological questions, research methods, and theoretical approaches. On one hand, the book includes chapters presenting very basic methodological issues, such as types and sources of data, selection of subjects and sites, and various data collection tools (e.g. laboratory designs, questionnaires, and audio/video recording). On the other hand, there, also, are chapters presenting particular theoretical approaches and concepts, including critical discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and social networks.

The reader should not expect detailed instructions for how to proceed in doing research, though the text on the back cover may give such an impression. Most chapters provide an outline of an approach or methodology. More detailed descriptions of methods can be reached following the references. From this book, the reader can expect to receive a basic idea and understanding of research methods and of various approaches, as well as types of research questions characteristic of each approach.

Some chapters reflect the individual inclinations of their authors more than others, such as the chapter on transcription which is devoted to only one transcription system. In addition to the seventeen chapters on research methodology and theoretical approaches, the book also includes two introductory and three concluding chapters. Student readers may particularly appreciate the three short, but very helpful, concluding chapters concerning project ideas, dissemination of research, and resources, including information about academic journals and publications, conferences, software tools, websites, and mailing lists.

Although this book is not rich in detail, it is certainly large in scope, covering a range of topics from neurolinguistic research to statistic analyses to ethnography. The book will be welcomed not only by students, but it may also be of interest to scholars who might, for example, if doing research focused on a particular aspect of bi- or multilingualism (e.g. on the social aspect), want to explore neurolinguistic or other approaches to the topic.