Lecture | SMILE - Experimental Linguistics series
What language-specific ‘first aid kits’ can tell us about bilingualism
- Date
- Thursday 21 May 2026
- Time
- Serie
- SMILE - Experimental Linguistics series
- Address
-
Herta Mohr
Witte Singel 27A
2311 BG Leiden - Room
- 0.04
Abstract
When we speak in another language, we often (whether we like it or not) adapt sounds of that language and assimilate it to familiar sounds from our first language. We may also modify, or ‘repair’, non-native sound combinations to make them conform more closely to the structures permitted by our first language, for instance by pronouncing English ‘sport’ as ‘esport’ or ‘WhatsApp’ as ‘Whatsu-Appu’. In this talk, I will focus on this second phenomenon, and discuss phonological repair strategies in bilingualism. By reviewing recent studies across various bilingual populations, including Brazilian Portuguese-Japanese speakers, I discuss the extent to which the use of these language-specific ‘first aid kits’, in both perception and production, is related to age of acquisition, bilingual proficiency, and language dominance.