This talk has been canceled – we hope to reschedule for next year!
Building a methodological toolbox for third language acquisition research
Jennifer Cabrelli, University of Illinois-Chicago
Over the past few decades, third language (L3) acquisition has emerged as a distinct field, offering unique insights into multilingualism and language learning. While early studies often borrowed methods from second language acquisition, researchers in the field have been refining approaches to better capture the complexities of multilingualism. As part of this work, we have aimed to enhance comparability across studies and ensure robust, theory-driven research, whether focused on initial transfer patterns or regressive effects of an L3 on previously acquired languages. This talk will outline key methodological considerations and best practices for L3 research and strategies for their implementation, including participant selection, isolation of critical background variables, linguistic phenomena selection, experimental design, and data analysis. Our goal in addressing these challenges is to refine the methodological foundation of L3 acquisition, allowing us to better capture the dynamic interplay between multiple linguistic systems and advance theoretical models of multilingual development.