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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.
Summary of project results
The Across-domain Investigations in Multilingualism: Modeling L3 Acquisition in Diverse Settings (ADIM) project aimed to address issues and challenges related to multilingualism and multilingual acquisition. Multilingualism has been the norm in many parts of the world for years. Due to the globalized reality that we all live in, an increasing number of people find themselves in a situation where they acquire several languages across the lifespan. However, many issues related to the interaction of three (or more) languages in the same speaker are still poorly understood, therefore in-depth research in this area is much needed. The project addressed this need and aimed to broaden the current state of knowledge in this field which is relevant for policy-makers, educators, parents of multilingual children, and the society in general.
The goal of the project was to investigate the complexity of third or additional language acquisition across different linguistic domains such as the sound system (phonology), grammar (syntax) and meaning (semantics). The project aimed to explore the sources and directions of influence between language systems coexisting in multilingual speakers. The empirical evidence was needed to further inform theoretical models that have been recently proposed to explain the process of multilingual acquisition. The project aimed to provide a deeper understanding of multilingual processing through the application of a wide range of approaches and modern methods such as brain imaging (EEG).
The project aimed to offer comprehensive insights into a complex topic of multilingual acquisition and processing that is of particular importance to the research community and to the general public. The project placed a special focus on raising general awareness of the benefits and challenges stemming from multilingualism and multilingual education as well as linguistic diversity.
The project was innovative as it had an unprecedented broad scope, it was interdisciplinary and applied cutting-edge technologies alongside a range of more traditional research methods. It was based on a close international co-operation between active research groups from three renowned European universities (i.e., Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø and NTNU in Trondheim), with each partner institution specializing in one of the selected linguistic domains (phonetics/phonology, syntax/morphosyntax and semantics).
The project compared learners acquiring their third/additional language in a naturalistic manner with those learning it formally in an instructed setting, taking into consideration varying levels of language proficiency (initial vs. advanced). Study participants involved different groups of multilingual speakers who have Polish, English and Norwegian in their language repertoires and vary with respect to where and when they learnt their non-native languages. A series of studies were conducted in parallel in Poland and in Norway involving the participants’ all three languages. Experimental tasks include, among others, a range of production and perception tests, grammaticality judgment tests, self-pace reading tasks and sociophonetic interviews. The project complemented and further extended the results of behavioural studies by employing electrophysiological methods. In a series of pioneering studies, electroencephalography (EEG) was used to examine the processing and acquisition of phonology in the multilingual context, which contributed significantly to the development of the scientific discipline.
The project contributed to promoting interdisciplinary research and created basis for further collaboration. We consolidated research links between the Polish and Norwegian partner teams and developed collaboration with scholars in other subfields of linguistics. This collaboration allowed us to pool varied research expertise and thus contributed to the development of more holistic research on L3 acquisition, processing and use through incorporating different language domains, which has not been accomplished before. The impact of the project was also related to the increase of sample size of multilingual participants and the involvement of diverse populations from the instructed and naturalistic settings, which has been one of the inherent novelties.
The project findings demonstrate to what extent the patterns of cross-linguistic influence in multlinguals occur holistically or are specific for a particular linguistic domain and how they are moderated by the investigated factors. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of multilingual speech, and its acquisition and processing in general. The speech patterns of Polish-Norwegian communities are documented in the collected multilingual speech corpus. The project offered a research program and methodological design that may be further developed and extended by other researchers in the field. It broadened the current state of knowledge in this field which is relevant for policy-makers, educators, parents of multilingual children, and the society in general.
The results of the project provide invaluable knowledge for the fields of linguistics and cognitive psychology in general and language acquisition/multilingualism in particular. The research findings have been communicated through academic journal articles and conferences. To ensure greater robustness and generalizability of the findings an open corpus of multilingual speech was created and made available to other researchers for further analysis. Moreover, the project website (https://adim.web.amu.edu.pl/en/) serves as a repository of data showcasing our main findings, as we have aimed to enhance the visibility of the project to the academic community and the general public alike. Further, we disseminated new knowledge throughout the use of social media as well as numerous outreach activities in which we have been involved, including workshops and lectures for secondary school students and parents concerning various aspects of multilingualism. We organised several workshops and special sessions to present our research findings, both for the academic community as well as a broader audience.
Solid research-based knowledge in this field is also be important for policy-makers, educators, parents of multilingual children, and many others. The implications of the project are diverse and involve potential guidelines for foreign language teaching and learning, multilingual education, language policies at a societal as well as individual and family level. Additional implications concern new insights into the intricate relationship between language and the brain, especially from a multilingual perspective.
Summary of bilateral results
The implementation of the project has led to an extensive collaboration between the Polish university and two universities based in Norway. The collaboration is manifested in the joint scholarly efforts, mutual agreements and further activities planned. The joint publications (the result of research carried out collaboratively in both countries by the three partners), seminars as well as other forms of cooperation prove that the bilateral cooperation within the GRIEG framework was highly successful; The report indicates that it will be further developed, which is an added value of the project.