Room 52.737/Zoom  
12:30-13:30 Mariia Pronina (UIB) "A project on the acquisition of prosody in Russian heritage children: the role of society and family" (Abstract)

Abstract: Increased migration and globalization bring new societal challenges related to multilingualism and, specifically, the maintenance of heritage (migrant minority) languages. However, previous research has been largely skewed toward monolingual language acquisition.

While the acquisition of heritage language is beneficial for children's development, the factors underlying this process are yet to be defined. This project sets out to investigate the role that the sociolinguistic context in the region—and specifically, the presence of another valued societal language—plays in the acquisition of heritage language. In order to do so, we propose to compare children's acquisition of the prosody of heritage Russian language in Catalan-speaking territories (Mallorca and Catalonia), where linguistic diversity is promoted, and in Madrid, where there is only one dominant language (i.e., Spanish).
A mixed-method study design which combines quantitative evaluation of children's linguistic and cognitive abilities with qualitative in-depth interviews with parents will be applied. The project has a number of methodological, theoretical and educational implications and will bring new evidence applicable when assessing and planning public policies, practices, and activities for fostering multilingual environments.