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Description
The project scope is to investigate Cross-linguistic Influence (CLI) in multilingual acquisition across domains (e.g. phonology, syntax), focusing on the role of different settings and stages of acquisition. The project aims to shed further light on the complexity of the acquisition of an L3, understood as an additional foreign language after having learned two languages either simultaneously or successively (L2 or 2L1), by juxtaposing initial vs. advanced learners acquiring their third/additional language in a naturalistic vs. formal setting. Specifically, CLIMPS will explore the sources and directionality of CLI in multilingual acquisition across different language domains, encompassing phonology and syntax. The planned project is innovative in its comprehensive scope, as previous studies in this area have focused exclusively on one selected domain, setting or acquisition stage. Further, it embraces an interdisciplinary perspective by bringing together experts in multilingual acquisition representing different language domains, in order to bridge the existing gap in the L3 literature. Its innovative nature is reflected in the theoretical modeling proposed, the range of methodologies applied, and the diverse populations to be investigated. The novelty of the project also pertains to how electrophysiological evidence combined with more traditional behavioural methods can inform the theory of L3 acquisition, in particular, to examine transfer source selectivity in L3/Ln. The project will contribute to a greater understanding of multilingual speech, and its acquisition and processing in general, and it will also document the speech patterns of Polish-Norwegian multilingual communities with different learning profiles. The project is interdisciplinary with each partner institution specializing in one of the selected domains under investigation.