| The research project is devoted to the study of processing of second and third languages (L2+) during first contact, during acquisition, and at the level of high proficiency or functional bilingualism. The research project addresses some key questions about language processing in multilingual speakers. How does the representation of a new language develop and then co-exist with the representations of other languages in the mind and brain of an individual? What role does the language input play in shaping the representations of a new language? How does processing of grammar and morphology become fast and efficient in fluent bilinguals? How do co-existing language systems influence each other? These questions are explored by use of different methodologies, ranging from reaction time experiments to gesture analysis. Experimental work on L2+ processing using neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, ERP) is conducted at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour: Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging. |
