The discussion in this book is intended to contribute to the identification of linguistic awareness both as an essential product and a necessary prerequisite of multilingual proficiency. It has made evident that both the definition and the scope of how awareness of language has been viewed according to common approaches inevitably need to be restructured or expanded in order to find appropriate ways of acknowledging the role of linguistic awareness in multilinguals.

The interplay between declarative and procedural knowledge, the boundaries between implicit and explicit knowledge, and also the fundamental discussions of such classifications, will, among other issues, be of interest to multilingualism research. The application of research results to multilingual education such as the clarification of the catalytic effects of third language learning presents a further step. All of this work has to be seen in relation to the key role of linguistic awareness in multilingual learning or to the teacher's efforts at raising linguistic awareness in multilingual education. Studying the nature of the interaction between cross-linguistic influence and linguistic awareness certainly presents a major challenge to future investigators.

It is suggested that the basis of future multilingual education be constituted by a bilingual norm whose cross-lingual dimension is fostered in teaching. As part of this approach metalinguistic and metacognitive abilities should be analyzed through processes of self-reflection and accompanied by strategy training for both teachers and learners. The nature of future language teaching should be characterized by approaches that blur boundaries and integrate systems.