Rita Franceschini

How does linguistic competence enhance cognitive functions in children? : A study in multilingual children with different linguistic competences

The aim of the present study was to investigate the attentional mechanisms of multilingual children with differential degrees of language competence. For this purpose, 118 children (61 female/57 male; mean age 10.9 years (SD = 0.29); early acquisition multilinguals) from the Ladin valleys in South Tyrol, Italy, performed the Attentional Network Test (ANT). Our results proved that proficiency levels in early multilingual children may play a crucial role in the development and enhancement of the alerting component of the attentional system. Interestingly enough, we were able to deduce that linguistic competence rather than competence in other skill domains may have a decisive role in the alerting component. We suggest that the peculiarity of highly competent multilinguals relies on their ability to better detect, and consequently react faster to, the target stimulus than their less competent multilingual peers.

Multilingual Universities: Policies and Practices

The aim of this chapter is to examine European higher education from the perspective of language use, that is, in view of the multilingual reconfiguration currently affecting universities in EU countries. In the first section recent developments of EU language policies are illustrated, and the notion of ‘functional multilingualism’, which informs such policies, is discussed against the background of societal, political and economic changes, determining a reconsideration of linguistic needs in Europe. The second section is devoted to the analysis of communicative practices in multilingual universities, in particular at the trilingual Free University of Bozen-Bolzano in Italy. Different ways of handling linguistic diversity in the classroom are examined, showing how the use of more languages in teacher-student interaction cannot only enhance learning processes and participation but can also prepare professionals who can successfully act in a multilingual, multicultural Europe.

Bilingualism and healthy aging: Aging effects and neural maintenance

ABSTRACT Speaking more than one language is associated with neurocognitive benefits in seniors (Alladi et al. 2013). Few studies however have tested this hypothesis directly by comparing bilingual seniors who vary in chronological age. We report a Voxel‐Based Morphometry (VBM) study showing cumulative effects of age on grey matter volume (GMV) in brain structures that are involved in cognitive control in bilingual seniors and found no differences in RT or accuracy between bilingual and monolingual seniors on a behavioral test of cognitive control called the Attentional Network Task (ANT), and no differences in GMV for selected ROIs between groups. However, chronological age predicted the size of interference and conflict effects for monolingual speakers only. We also observed a more widespread pattern of bilateral aging‐effcts in brain regions that are classically associated with aging in monolingual speakers compared to bilingual speakers. Notably, GMV in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the level of daily exposure to a second language (L2) independently predict performance on the ANT in bilingual speakers. We conclude that regular (daily) bilingual experience mitigates the typical effects of aging on cognitive control at the behavioral and the neural level. HIGHLIGHTSThe effects of aging upon grey matter of cognitive control regions were studied in bilingual and monolingual seniors.Aging‐effects upon performance on the Attentional Network task (ANT) were also investigated and correlated with grey matter.We report no overall behavioral differences and no overall grey matter differences between bilinguals and monolinguals.Monolingual seniors only were significantly associated to aging effects on behavioral performance.Monolinguals reported an extended bilateral pattern of brain regions affected by aging effects as opposed to bilinguals.

Turn, Turn, Turn? Oder: Braucht die Germanistik eine germanistische Wende? Eine Rundfrage zum Jubiläum der LILI

The German Studies seem to be deeply splitted. On the whole as well as in each of their traditional parts (Linguistics, Literary Studies, Medieval Studies) they distinguish themselves through cyclic figures of permanent resolution. Paradoxically, however, these figures of thinking manage to cross the former interior boundaries as well. This might be seen especially in the different turns which occur in the German Studies like in other humanities, but with a certain kind of exaltation. So it may be that the cyclic figures of thinking in turns do not only have a centrifugal, but centripetal effect. Therefore one could, polemically spoken, postulate a paradox germanistic turn — this would be no ordinary positioning, rather a vote for the intriguing dynamics of German Studies.