LAMiNATE Talks

LAMiNATE Talks is seminar series that aims to foster interdisciplinary discussion on language acquisition, multilingualism and teaching. Talks are held every other Tuesday afternoon 15.15-16.30 CET, with participants not only from Lund but also with a wider audience.

The spring Talks series of 2024 starts on 13 February. We will host 8 events (some online, some in a hybrid format). The series is organised in two thematic blocks, comprising two talks each, and presentations by guest speakers and LAMiNATE members.

The first theme is organised by LAMiNATE member Maria Graziano (LU) and will discuss Some aspects affecting the development of reference tracking.  Referential expressions are among the linguistic devices that allow to achieve cohesion in discourse. They are used to introduce and refer back to entities in discourse and include nouns, pronouns, demonstratives, zero anaphora. The choice of the appropriate device depends on several aspects, such as the salience of the entities, the information status of the referent (new vs given). Developmental studies on the ability to use different types of anaphoric devices have shown that this skill is the result of a gradual process, with conflicting opinions on its timeline. Studies have also shown that the mastery of referential expressions can be influenced by a number of factors, such as language specificity and contextual constraints. The two talks in this theme will discuss two of such factors: Josefin Lindgren (Uppsala University) & Jorrig Vogels (University of Groningen) will focus on how presenting (Swedish) children with a model story affects their choice of referential expressions in their narratives.  Jennifer Arnold (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), will examine which patterns influence speakers’ and learners’ interpretation of ambiguous pronouns.

The second theme is organised by LAMiNATE member Roger Johansson (LU) and will focus on Neural foundations for the flexible switching between languages. The adept skill of seamlessly switching between two or multiple languages is a hallmark of early simultaneous bilinguals and multilingual individuals. Existing research has firmly established that multilingualism exerts a notable influence on the development of fundamental brain structures involved in cognitive control and memory processes. However, a long-standing debate revolves around the functional relationship between multilingual competence and broader cognitive capabilities, including mental flexibility, task switching, and executive control. Ongoing scholarly discussions also center on the intricate interactions between these cognitive systems and the flexible switching between languages, encompassing both rapid code switching and more deliberate, controlled language transitions. While recent advancements in neurocognitive studies have contributed valuable insights into various language systems and the brain's memory and cognitive control systems, the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms subserving the rapid up- and downregulation of different language systems during switches between them remain relatively underexplored. In line with these considerations, the overarching goal of this theme is to offer an updated perspective on studies and methodologies, with the objective to broaden and enhance our current understanding of the neural dynamics and underlying mechanisms associated with the intricate processes involved in switching between languages. 

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