Bangor University Researchers Present Insights from Welsh Multilingualism Abroad
In September, members of the Bangor University Child Bilingualism Lab presented a symposium on 'Bi/multilingualism and language disorders' at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. The lab's activity was part of an ongoing collaboration between the Bangor University Child Bilingualism Lab and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Laboratory of Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics, which receives partial funding from the Taith Research Mobility Scheme.
The symposium was led by Dr Eirini Sanoudaki, Reader in Linguistics (Bilingualism) and Head of the Child Bilingualism Lab. Eirini, who was also one of the invited speakers at the international conference Language Disorders in Greece 9 at the university, delivered a plenary talk on ‘Multilingualism and Neurodiversity: insights from Wales’. Current PhD researchers Meinir Williams, Rebecca Day and Bethan Collins presented research including the creation of Welsh children’s voices for Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), bilingualism in Rett syndrome, and a multidisciplinary project between Annedd Ni Day Centre and Blas Pontio to encourage the use of Welsh in adults with various disabilities through engagement with the arts.
Eirini, who is also Director of Postgraduate Research in the School of Arts, Culture and Language, said “Wales is at the forefront of research on bilingualism. We have the duty to share this expertise with the rest of the world, and to take a leading role in the paradigm change taking place in the fields of multilingualism and neurodiversity. I am particularly happy that this initiative gave our excellent PhD researchers a platform to further their connections and means to effect change, not just in Wales, but globally”.
The trip was an opportunity to meet with international researchers to discuss developments in the field, brainstorm future joint projects, and showcase the innovative research on bi/multilingualism being done at Bangor.
