The Bilingualism Matters Research Symposium (BMRS) is an annual interdisciplinary research conference organised by the Bilingualism Matters network and open to researchers at any stage of their career, irrespective of their affiliation to Bilingualism Matters.

The Bilingualism Matters Network is made of over 25 branches across Europe, North America, and Asia. It stems from a research and information centre at the University of Edinburgh, founded and directed by Professor Antonella Sorace. Established in 2008, Bilingualism Matters aims to bridge the gap between research and different sectors of society, enabling people to make informed professional or personal decisions on bilingualism and language learning across the lifespan that are based on facts, rather than prejudice or misconception.

Submission Guidelines

• Abstracts will be considered for two types of presentation: oral presentation (the presenter will deliver a 15-minute oral presentation) or poster (presenter will produce a digital poster).
• All abstracts must be submitted in English.
• Abstracts cannot exceed the limit of 400 words, excluding tables and references.
• Additional max. 100 words in the same document are required which describe how research is relevant to the needs of the general public, professionals (health, education, etc.) or policymakers
• Figures, tables, examples and references may be uploaded in a separate file.
• Abstracts must be submitted directly to Easy Chair online form. They can also be uploaded in a separate file but MUST NOT contain any names of authors, only the title.
• Authors can indicate a preference for an oral or poster presentation. However, the Programme Committee reserves the right to decide on the final format.
• Please, provide up to five keywords 

Topics

We welcome contributions in the four broad categories 1) Linguistic and developmental aspects of bilingualism, 2)Psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic aspects of bilingualism, 3)Pedagogical aspects of bilingualism and 4) Social and political aspects of bilingualism 

List of topics include, but are not limited to:

• typical and atypical child bilingualism
• language learning and lifetime bilingualism
• language attrition in individuals and across generations
• cognitive effects of bilingualism
• bilingualism and social cognition
• neurolinguistic consequences of bilingualism
• bilingual education
• language teaching and learning in the classroom
• code-switching and translanguaging
• measuring and testing bilingual abilities
• sociological and social aspects of bilingualism
• heritage and minority languages
• language policy

Review Criteria

Our panel of expert reviewers will choose abstracts based on the following criteria:

• Originality - Does the research make a contribution to knowledge?
• Academic rigour - Is the theoretical framework properly characterized? Are the arguments sound, clear, and logical?
• Availability of results - What is the stage of the research? Are results available?
• Presentation - Is the writing clear? Is it appropriately organized? Is the length appropriate?
• Social relevance - Does the research have the potential to be relevant to non-academic audiences?  Is it explained well? 

Important Dates

• Submission Deadline:                  7^th June 2021 23:59 CET
• Notification of acceptance:          12^th July 2021
• Registration opens:                     12^th July 2021
• Conference Date:                        25^th& 26^th October 2021 

Conference fee

• £50         full fee
• £30         discounted fee (students)
• Bursaries are available on application. Please contact bilingualism-matters@ed.ac.uk

BMRS21 Committee

• Dr Carmit Altman 
• Dr Francesca Foppolo 
• Dr Georgia Fotiadou
• Dr Tihana Kras
• Prof Dr Tanja Rinker
• Dr John W. Schwieter
• Dr. Yang Wang
• Prof Antonella Sorace
• Dr Katarzyna Przybycien

Keynote Speakers

• Prof Ellen Bialystok, a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology and Walter Gordon Research Chair of Lifespan Cognitive Development at York University, and Associate Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
• Prof Li Wei, a Chair of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Centre for Applied Linguistics and incoming director and dean of the UCL Institute of Education, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (United Kingdom) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to bilingualism-matters@ed.ac.uk