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Learning a Community Language as a Third Language

This study is part of a larger action research project on the role of secondary school language programmes in the maintenance and spread of community languages in Melbourne. The study focuses on bilinguals learning another community language (Greek or Spanish) as a third language, some of them having a home language with a connection to the target language and some with completely unrelated home languages. Qualitative and qualitative data show that the bilinguals tend to be more effective and persistent learners of the target language than monolinguals, that they are able to benefit from their metalinguistic awareness, though there are differences between the schools in the degree of perception of this. Through L3, the pupils' home language maintenance is strengthened, they develop a more general interest in languages, and they engage in 'crossing'.