In this work of mine I tried to show how early bilingualism can be considered as a al product. We all know that bilingualism is a behavioural pattern of mutually modifying practices varying in degree, function, alternation and interference. In a wider meaning we can consider bilingualism as a global phenomenon that involves simultaneosly a psychological state of the individual and a situation of languages in contact at both the interpersonal and the collective level.
Nevertheless a situation of languages in contact can occur at the societal level without implying the bilinguality of individuals and, conversely, indiviuals can be bilingual without the existence of collective bilinguality. Fishman maintains that bilingualism is not a phenomenon of language because it is a characteristic of its use. If language is the property of the group, bilingualism is the property of the individuals within the group. An individual’s use of two languages supposes the existence of two different languages in the community. The blilingual community can only be regarded as a dependent collection of individuals who have reasons for being bilingual. A self-sufficient bilingual community has no reason to remain bilingual, since a closed community in which everyone is fluent in two languages could get along just well with one language.
As long as there are different monolingual communities, however, there is likelyhood of contact between them, this contact results in bilingualism.
The situation in which languages and cultures are in contact comprises a variety of cases:
-the first is that we can find a person who speaks one language at home, different from the language spoken in the community or society;
-we can also have persons speaking two languages in the home, one of which is the language of the community or society;
-there are people speaking two languages in the home, which are both used in two communities in contact in the society;
-the last case is the one of a person who speaks two languages in the home, neither of which is used in the community or society.
These cases include children from bilingual homes as well as children from migrant families who live in a society where two languages may or may not be in contact.
When at least two languages are in contact in the society, power relations between the ethnolinguistic groups will influence the development of children's cultural identity.
In multicultural societies, for example, a multiple cultural membership can coexist with varying degrees of dominant bilingual competence.
A high bilingual competence does not always mean a cultural identity with dual membership; a person culturally may become a fluent bilingual while remaining monocultural and identifying with one of the groups only. Bilingual development can also lead a person to renounce the cultural identity of his mother-tongue group and adopt that of the second language-group, in which case he will become a L2 acculturated bilingual. Sometimes, however, the bilingual may give up his own cultural identity but at the same time fail to identify with the L2 cultural group and as a result become anomic and deculturated.
However, we can define biculturalism as the state of the individual or group who identify with more than one culture. A bicultural bilingual is one who has native competence in his two languages, identifies with both cultural groups and is perceived by each group as one of them.
Education should consider the sociocultural context in which the child develops bilinguality and should valorise his language and culture in the community. n this case, education should aim at increasing competence in both the first and the second languages, especially the literacy-oriented skills.
If, in addition, the school valorises the child’s mother tongue, this will reinforce the child’s positive perception of his language, therefore his bilinguality and biculturalism. Similarly, the valorisation of literacy skills per se may also have a positive effect on the child’s representation of language.
Let me conclude quoting a short passage from Issues in foreign language and bilingual education written by Adolph Caso in 1980: "A nation having true bilingual citizens is richer for obvious reasons: the school system that graduates this type of students can be proud for the achievement. An the community having people with two or more languages has the greater chance for peaceful existence.. The greatest payoff, however, comes to the who graduate with skills that will make them active rather passive members of the community.

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