Project description
Are multilinguals advantaged in new language acquisition?
In today’s world, being bilingual or even multilingual is common. Yet, how much prior language experience helps when learning a new language remains unclear. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MultiPhon project will explore how speakers of two, three, or four languages from Romance, Germanic, and Slavic families acquire the phonology of Modern Hebrew. The study will investigate whether multilinguals have a cognitive edge in language learning or primarily draw on knowledge from languages they already know. This research will shed light on whether phonological learning improves with the number of languages spoken or depends specifically on the phonologies already mastered.
Objective
The proposed project will assess bilingual, trilingual, and quadrilingual speakers of different combinations of Romance, Germanic, and Slavic languages on their phonological acquisition of an entirely foreign language- Modern Hebrew. This will be the first study to compare phonological acquisition of consonant clusters in a typologically distinct language between speakers of two, three, and four languages, allowing us to contribute to a long-standing debate in the field: do multilinguals have a cognitive advantage in subsequent language learning, or are they only transferring knowledge from previously acquired languages? This study will yield valuable theoretical implications in language acquisition and applications in the field of foreign language learning. First, from a theoretical perspective, it will allow us to tease apart mechanisms of language acquisition to understand whether phonological acquisition is a general language function (wherein more acquired languages lead to a greater ability to acquire new phonologies) or specific to the known languages (wherein the ability to acquire a new phonological system depends on the phonologies of previously learned languages). Second, although studies on bilingualism are now abundant, and L3 acquisition is a steadily growing field, little work has been conducted on the acquisition of further languages, and less still within the field of phonology. Thus, this study will pave the way in understanding how increasingly multilingual systems may differ amongst each other and facilitate the acquisition of new languages. In the field of language learning and pedagogy, this research will elucidate the ways and extent to which prior language experience can be harnessed when acquiring a new language. As part of the dissemination aspects of this project, the researchers will collaborate closely with local teachers and language instructors, as well as language-learning companies, to maximize the practical impacts of our findings.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences educational sciences didactics
- humanities languages and literature linguistics phonology
- social sciences educational sciences pedagogy
- social sciences psychology psycholinguistics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
78464 Konstanz
Germany
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