CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

[Kelley Sacco]

**CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT**
 
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND BILINGUALISM:
Consequences for a Multilingual Society
 
May 4 ­ 7, 2006 
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto

 

We would like to draw your attention to a conference on language acquisition
and bilingualism. The conference will examine the impact of a multilingual
environment on children¹s linguistic development. Research on children¹s
language acquisition normally assumes that the environment offers only one
linguistic choice and that children¹s early experiences will proceed in a
predictable manner as language is incrementally built up and cognition is
increasingly boosted. In some countries, such as Canada, the existence of
two official languages means that the linguistic context for language
acquisition is more complex. The purpose of the conference is to explore how
the factors that are part of the landscape of multilingual societies affect
the way in which children learn language and establish the linguistic and
cognitive concepts associated with successful participation in society.

 

The audience will consist of researchers, educators, and practitioners who
work with bilingual and multilingual children. Presentations will describe
current research by leading scholars, representing a wide range of
countries. Discussions will be focussed on the social and linguistic
dimensions of bilingual language acquisition, which will be relevant to
those working in both research and applied fields.

 

The conference will include presentations in 5 areas:

(1) Language acquisition in bilingual environments

- Janet Werker (Canada), University of British Columbia

- Marilyn Vihman (Wales), University of Wales

- Fred Genesee (Canada), McGill University

- Jurgen Meisel (Germany), Hamburg University

(2) Cognitive implications of early bilingualism

- Elena Nicoladis (Canada), University of Alberta

- Ludo Verhoeven (Netherlands), University of Nijmegen

- Esther Geva (Canada), University of Toronto

- Ellen Bialystok (Canada), York University

(3) Bilingual language acquisition for special populations

- Martha Crago (Canada), McGill University &

Johanne Paradis (Canada), University of Alberta

- Rachel Mayberry (USA), McGill University

- Shanley Allen (USA), Boston University

(4) Bilingual development in different social contexts

- Kenneth Hyltenstam (Sweden), Stockholm University

- Annick de Houwer (Belgium), University of Antwerp

- Barbara Pearson (USA), University of Massachusetts

(5) Implications and applications

- Kenji Hakuta (USA), University of California

- Michael Sharwood Smith (Scotland), Heriot Watt University

- Jim Cummins (Canada), University of Toronto

 

 

**CALL FOR POSTERS**

 

Submissions are invited for posters from all of the above areas.
Deadline for poster submissions is April 7, 2006.
 
Visit the website for details of poster submission and conference
registration: http://www.psych.yorku.ca/labconference

 

Questions or inquiries may be directed to labconf at yorku.ca