Overview
Bilingualism Matters Research Symposium 2020 (BMRS2020) is an annual interdisciplinary research conference organised by the Bilingualism Matters (BM) network and open to researchers at any stage of their career, irrespective of their affiliation to Bilingualism Matters. BMRS2020 forms part of a larger Bilingualism Matters Conference, featuring training events and general network meeting, which are exclusive to BM network members and partners.The conference was originally scheduled to take place on in Krakow, Poland on 22 September 2020, but due to COVID-19 disruptions the symposium will now be held online.
The Bilingualism Matters Network is made of over 20 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.
Our plenary speaker at the BMRS 2020 will be Prof. Judith Kroll, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Language Science at the University of California, Irvine. She is a Fellow of the AAAS, the APA, the APS, the Psychonomic Society, and the Society of Experimental Psychologists.
Important dates
| 02 March 2020 | Submissions open |
| 30 April 2020 | Submissions close |
| 4 June 2020 | Notification of acceptance sent to paper authors |
| 8 June 2020 | Registration open |
| 14 Sept 2020 | Registration closes (to non-BM members) |
| 15 Sept 2020 | Final programme sent to attendees |
| 22 Sept 2020 | BMRS2020 |
Registration
General registration is now closed. Bilingualism Matters branch members can contact their director for links to late entry.
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts can be considered for two types of presentation: oral presentation (presenter will deliver a 20-minute oral presentation) or poster (presenter will produce an A1 poster of research).
- Abstracts should be max. 300 words in Arial (11 points), excluding tables and references.
- Additional max. 50 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
- These should be submitted on one A4 page.
- Figures, tables, examples and references can be on a second page.
- Indicate a preference for an oral or poster presentation, and provide five keywords
- Submissions to be made on Easychair: https://easychair.org/cfp/BMRS2020
List of Topics
We are interested in receiving proposals for presentations on any aspect of bilingualism, including, but not limited to:
- typical and atypical child bilingualism
- adult language learning and lifetime bilingualism
- cognitive effects of bilingualism
- the neural bases of bilingualism
- bilingualism and social cognition
- bilingualism and bidialectalism
- bilingual education
- bilingualism in policymaking
- sociological and social aspects of bilingualism
- heritage and minority languages
- code-switching and translanguaging
Review Criteria
Our panel of expert reviewers will choose abstracts for 20-minute talks and posters, based on the following criteria:
- Rigour of research
- Originality of research
- Quality of writing in relation to the abstract
- Potential for dissemination through Bilingualism Matters network
Committees
| Programme Committee | Organising committee |
| Prof Antonella Sorace Dr Francesca Foppolo Dr Tihana Kras | Dr Katarzyna Przybycien Christy Brewster Dr Zofia Wodniecka |
Contact
All questions about submissions should be emailed to: bilingualism-matters@ed.ac.uk
