3rd. Barcelona Summer School on Bi-and Multilingualism

Abstracts

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  Albert Costa - Presentation Abstract</h1>
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  <em><strong>Advantages and Costs of Being a Bilingual Speaker </strong></em></h2>
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  In this talk I will review recent findings regarding: a) the processing disadvantage of bilingual speakers in speech production (even in their dominant language) in comparison to monolinguals, and b) the processing advantage of bilingual speakers in attentional tasks involving executive control. I will argue that both effects may stem from different demands (or properties) imposed by bilingualism. In particular, I will argue that (a) reveals the lower frequency with which bilinguals used their dominant in language in comparison to monolinguals. In contrast, (b) results from the need of bilinguals to control their two languages in the course of lexicalization in order to prevent lexical intrusions. The further discussion will aim at exploring the specific attentional components that may be involved in the bilingual advantage on executive control.</p>
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   Ton Dijkstra - Presentation Abstract</h1>
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  <strong><em>Issues in behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies on cognate processing and models of bilingual processing</em></strong></h2>
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  The workshop will consist of three parts that are quite diverse but complementary in character. The first part will present a rainbow of behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies on cognate processing, linking them to earlier research on false friends and neighbors. In the second part, the very first phases of Second Language Acquisition in adults are discussed, as they have become evident in two recent longitudinal projects. Finally, models of bilingual processing and development will be discussed, with a focus on a new computational model for word translation.</p>
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   Viorica Marian - Presentation Abstract</h1>
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  <strong><em>Consequences of Bilingualism for Language Processing, Language Learning, and Language and Memory</em></strong></h2>
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  This presentation will consist of two parts. The first part will focus on language processing and language learning. The second part will focus on language and memory and on techniques for studying bilingualism.</p>
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  First, we will consider how knowing two languages changes spoken language comprehension and yields co-activation of lexical items across both languages. Using eye-tracking and mouse-tracking data, I will show that bilinguals effectively recruit both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms to efficiently and seamlessly integrate information across modalities when resolving ambiguity during comprehension. Bilinguals' domain-specific experience with cross-linguistic competition shows a relationship to domain-general executive function, suggesting that bilinguals may be particularly adept at inhibiting irrelevant information. One consequence ofthis greater inhibitory experience is a bilingual advantage in novel language learning -- compared to monolinguals, bilinguals are better at learning a new language and show less competition from the native language when using a newly-learned language.</p>
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  Second, we will consider how the language one speaks influences accessibility of memories. I will show that autobiographical memories, academic learning, and knowledge of real-world information are all influenced by the language used during encoding and retrieval. I will suggest that language-dependent memory supports a non-modular view of cognition and can provide valuable insights into linguistic and cognitive function. Finally, we will discuss current approaches to studying bilingualism, including eye-tracking, mouse tracking, evoked response potentials, functional neuroimaging, computational modeling, and corpus analysis and will considerspecific tools from my laboratory (e.g., the CLEARPOND database of phonological and orthographic neighborhood densities and frequencies for 5 languages, the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire available in 14 languages, the BLINCS computational model of spoken language comprehension, etc.). I will conclude by suggesting that the observed patterns in language processing, language learning, and language and memory provide evidence that a bilingual's cognitive architecture is highly interactive and dynamic, both within and across languages.</p>
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   Johanne Paradis - Presentation Abstract</h1>
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  <strong><em>Topics in child bilingual and second language acquisition</em></strong></h2>
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  This lecture will consist of three main sections organized around different populations of dual language learning children that my research has focused on: French-English simultaneous bilingual children, child second language (L2) learners of English from immigrant families, and both simultaneous bilingual and L2 children with specific language impairment (SLI).  Each section will be organized around major topics in the field pertaining to that population, and the discussion of each topic will include reference both to my own research and to other relevant studies.</p>
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  (1) Bilingual first language acquisition. This section will include topics such as, how simultaneous bilingual children compare to their monolingual peers in terms of rates and patterns of development; the presence of crosslinguistic transfer in simultaneous bilinguals, and how bilingual children can inform us about the sensitivity of language acquisition to variation in language input.</p>
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  (2) Child second language acquisition: This section will include topics such as, how long it takes for L2 children to converge on native-speaker competence, and the sources of individual differences in their L2 acquisition based on factors such as age of L2 onset, first language background, language learning aptitude, length of L2 exposure, home language use, and richness of the L2 environment.</p>
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  (3) Bilingual children with SLI:  This section will include topics such as, how bilingual/L2 children’s linguistic characteristics can overlap with those of monolingual children with SLI, whether bilingual/L2 children with SLI show ‘double-delay’ in their language development, and what factors can distinguish bilingual/L2 children with SLI from their typically-developing bilingual/L2 peers.</p>
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   Carmen Pérez-Vidal - Presentation Abstract</h1>
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   <em>Learning context and contact effects on multilingual development</em></h2>
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   The module LEARNING CONTEXT AND CONTACT EFFECTS ON MULTILINGUAL DEVELOPMENT will present state of the art research into the effects of different learning contexts on progress made by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners both from a linguistic and a cognitive perspective. The contexts analysed will be as follows: 1) at home (AH) formal instruction (FI), 2) Study Abroad (SA) in the target language country, and 3) AH bilingual semi-immersion (CLIL in secondary education, ICL in higher education). Each context will be characterized and their possible effects on the bilingual learners’ linguistic progress will be analyzed. The seminar will also discuss how the different contact patterns with target language learners affect the individual profiles of bilinguals.</p>
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