Bilingualism, multilingualism and contact languages

In a globalized and mobile world, EFL explores the cognitive, social, and linguistic effects of multilingualism, from the simultaneous acquisition of several languages to their coexistence in contact contexts. This theme sheds light on both how the brain works and contemporary cultural dynamics.

Why study bilingualism and multilingualism?

Contrary to a still widespread belief, the majority of humans in the world are multilingual. Monolingualism is historically and statistically an exception. Studying bilingualism is therefore not about focusing on a marginal case, but rather on a dominant form of human linguistic experience.

In the current context of migration, globalization, digital diaspora, and professional mobility, understanding the cognitive, social, and linguistic mechanisms at work in multilingualism is a central issue for language sciences, but also for education, health, public policy, and technological innovation.

Scientific questions on the topic

Representation of languages in the brain:

• How do multiple languages coexist in the neural architecture?
• Which cognitive circuits are activated depending on the context?
• What happens in the brain of a bilingual child from the prenatal period onwards?

Coactivation and code-switching mechanisms:

• How do speakers switch from one language to another?
• What does this “code-switching” reveal about cognitive plasticity?
• Languages in contact and linguistic innovation:
• What effects does linguistic contact have on the evolution of languages?
• How do languages mix, simplify, or become more complex in multilingual contexts (e.g., pidgins, creoles, mixed languages)?

Language and society:

• What language policies are needed to manage multilingualism in schools, medical settings, and the legal system?
• What are the identity, symbolic, or political issues surrounding the languages spoken in neighborhoods, diasporas, and postcolonial territories?
• Various forms of bilingualism:
• Study of bimodal bilinguals (spoken language + sign language), early vs. late bilinguals, dominant vs. balanced bilinguals.
• Impact of bilingualism on cognitive health (particularly the delay of certain neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s).

Methods used

The EFL project adopts an interdisciplinary approach combining:

• Behavioral experiments (reaction tests, memory tests, attention tests, etc.)
• Neuroscience (EEG, functional MRI) to observe traces of bilingualism in the brain
• Oral and written corpora from multilingual contexts (family, school, street, media)
• Ethnographic interviews and sociolinguistic surveys
• Typological and historical analysis of structures resulting from linguistic contact
• Computational approaches to model processes of linguistic interference or convergence

Applications and societal challenges

• Education: rethinking teaching in multilingual environments (minority language schooling, promoting students’ linguistic heritage)
• Health: diagnosis of language disorders in bilingual children, treatment of pathologies affecting speech or comprehension
• Public policy: linguistic support for migrant populations, revitalization of endangered languages
• Technology: improvement of multilingual interfaces, AI training that takes into account real linguistic variability

Partnerships

– Study of bilingual speakers in France, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

– Collaboration with specialized laboratories such as LaCiTO, Llacan, CRLAO, and units involved in language acquisition (INCC, LLF).

– Work with teachers, speech therapists, linguistic associations, and developers of digital tools for multilingual audiences.

In summary

Multilingualism is a cognitive asset and a driver of innovation, but it is also a challenge to understand in all its dimensions. EFL embraces this challenge to advance both language science and concrete responses to the needs of linguistically complex societies.