Research project
Language processing and the multilingual brain
This project looks at how the native language influences processing mechanisms of non-native language(s) as well has how it influences brain structure and functional connectivity.
- Duration
- 2018 - 2022
- Contact
- Niels Schiller
- Funding
- Horizon2020 (Marie Skłodowska-Curie action)
- Partners
The University of Konstanz, the University of Reading and the University of Putra Malaysia.
This project is part of is an international and multidisciplinary training network on multilingualism called MultiMind.
In light of the more recent migration waves, Europe is becoming more and more multilingual. The main goal of MultiMind is to understand the benefits and obstacles of being multilingual and its consequences on educational policies, wellbeing and integration.
'Language processing and the multilingual brain' aims to:
- study the influence of the native language on the processing mechanisms of the non-native language(s) using behavioural and electrophysiological measures such as EEG.
- study the influence of the native language on brain structure and functional connectivity using brain imaging techniques
More about MultiMind
With partners in fourteen different countries and specialised in a variety of disciplines, MultiMind is an international, multidisciplinary and multisectorial training network on multilingualism. It is aimed at studying multilingualism from different perspectives such as neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, speech and language pathology and education. Research topics include the role of multilingualism on brain function and structure, cognition, decision-making and creativity in both typical and atypical populations, as well as language education in migration and refugee settings. Another key goal of the MultiMind project is to train the next generation of researchers for future work inside and outside academia to address key societal challenges in Europe and beyond.