Bilingual Language use and acquisition

Uploaded on October 28th 2021.

BilingualLanguage use and acquisition: Motion event description by English-French sequential and simultaneous bilinguals.

Motion is an ubiquitous daily human activity and described regularly in language. However, the way motion events are described varies cross-linguistically. This talk will explore how such differences can impact language acquisition and use. Specifically, the talk will focus on language usage in French - English adult sequential and simultaneous bilinguals.

This talk will first present what sequential and simultaneous bilinguals are and how motion events are typically encoded in French and English. Then, results from experiments involving French - English adult sequential and simultaneous bilinguals will be discussed. The results will highlight specific difficulties inherent to each language that impede the use and acquisition of typical motion event descriptions. In this talk, applications will also be suggested for the teaching and learning of motion event description in different languages.