One language too many?

Multilingualism has long been a feature of Austrian schools, bringing with it both advantages and disadvantages. The use of languages in schools is a particularly interesting topic, as children whose first language is not German use both their first and second languages at school. Politicians also discuss this topic extensively, whether as a 'language problem' for multilingual children at school or a ban on first languages within the school building. This paper summarises the facts and figures surrounding multilingualism in Austrian schools. In addition, data on multilingual children was collected in order to ultimately answer the question of where the boundaries lie regarding the use of the first language by multilingual children at school.