Bilingualism is a language ability that is particularly widespread on the planet.
Beyond the simple linguistic competence, being bilingual means learning to make two worlds, two cultures, two points of view on life and the world cohabit. And this versatility has an impact on language learning in children who grow up in contact with at least two languages.
In order to better understand the forces and workings of bilingualism, we asked Ranka Bijeljac-Babic, a member of Labex EFL, a few questions. Ranka is a psycholinguist, a member of the INCC (Integrative Neuroscience and Cognitive Center - Language and Cognition team) of the CNRS and the University of Paris, and a former lecturer at the University of Poitiers. She has conducted numerous studies on language learning in bilingual children and is, through her personal and professional history, particularly well suited to talk to us about what goes on in the brain of a bilingual person.
Enjoy your listening! 🔊