C-LaBL (TMS fin.)

The Center for Language, Brain & Learning (C-LaBL) will provide a step-change in our understanding of how multiple languages interact in the mind/brain, develop innovative longitudinal methodologies to study multilingualism, and train the next generation of scholars and research leaders in this increasingly important field. By fostering collaborative research across linguistic theories, neuroscience, and language acquisition/processing, we focus on the effects of multilingualism – for the languages involved, for the brains that house them, and for the learning and teaching of multiple languages. C-LaBL is divided into three domains of study (Language, Brain, and Learning) that are linked by a cross-cutting research theme focusing on linguistic distance. Thus, the core work of C-LaBL investigates the interaction of multiple grammars in the multilingual mind/brain, with a main focus on the significance of linguistic distance (similarities/differences between languages) for development, crosslinguistic influence, neurocognitive adaptations in the brain as a result of multilingual experience, as well as instructed additional language learning. Work at the center is theoretically motivated and uses a variety of research methods, including offline behavioral experiments, eye-tracking, electroencephalography (EEG), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The research is of practical relevance to current societal challenges related to education and health. The C-LaBL Mentorship Program provides a comprehensive training scheme to a number of postdoctoral fellows, ensuring that future leaders in the field have a solid background that crosscuts all three domains. With a novel and cross-fertilizing approach to multilingualism, a highly qualified leadership team, a talented group of scholars across a spectrum of seniority, and a strong international network, C-LaBL will become a world-leading research community in our field.