Modeling Bilingualism: From Structure to Chaos. In Honor of Kees de Bot(43 Studies in Bilingualism)

This volume presents an overview of changes in paradigms, perspectives and contexts of research into bilingual development over the past two decades. During this time, the focus of perspective has changed. In the early 1990s, most investigations still proceeded from models that assumed modular components, hierarchical relationships and linear processes, and investigated what were perceived to be the ‘typical’ contexts of bilingual development (sequential, usually instructed bilingualism, where the second language would remain the weaker one and the speakers investigated were typically young adults). More recently it has been proposed that such models may not be complex enough to accommodate bilingual development in all its facets and settings (bimodal bilingualism, attrition, aging). This change has recently culminated in applications of chaos theory to Applied Linguistics, and in the widening range of situations of language acquisition, learning and deterioration which have been investigated.

Table of Contents:
1. Acknowledgement; 2. Introduction: From structure to chaos: Twenty years of modeling bilingualism (by Larsen-Freeman, Diane); 3. Part I. Multilingualism; 4. Psycholinguistic perspectives on language processing in bilinguals (by Kroll, Judith F.); 5. Triggered code-switching: Evidence from picture naming experiments (by Broersma, Mirjam); 6. Working memory capacity, inhibitory control, and proficiency in a second language (by Gass, Susan M.); 7. Explanations of associations between L1 and L2 literacy skills (by Hulstijn, Jan H.); 8. Part II. Language attrition; 9. The acquisition, attrition, and relearning of mission vocabulary (by Hansen, Lynne); 10. Second language attrition: Theory, research and challenges (by Murtagh, Lelia); 11. Contact x time: External factors and variability in L1 attrition (by Schmid, Monika S.); 12. The shifting structure of emotion semantics across immigrant generations: Effects of the second culture on the first language (by Schrauf, Robert W.); 13. Part III. Language and aging; 14. Bilingualism, code-switching and aging: A myth of attrition and a tale of collaboration (by Clyne, Michael); 15. Language reversion versus general cognitive decline: Towards a new taxonomy of language change in elderly bilingual immigrants (by Keijzer, Merel); 16. Part IV. DST; 17. A dynamic model of expert-novice co-adaptation during language learning and acquisition (by Geert, Paul van); 18. The dynamics of multilingualism: Levelt's speaking model revisited (by Lowie, Wander); 19. Epilogue: Twenty years of modeling bilingualism: From chaos to structure - and back again (by Weltens, Bert); 20. Address for correspondence; 21. Index

Review :
In a suitable reflection of Kees de Bot's wide-ranging interests, this volume presents a vast range of topics, methodologies and theoretical concerns at the cutting edge of bilingualism studies. A must-read for anyone interested in the state of the art of bilingualism. Over the last two decades, bilingualism has been drawn into the focus of psycholinguistics, not in the least by Kees De Bot's contributions. This anthology beams the contagious enthusiasm of distinguished leaders in this field. I was impressed by the great variety and sophistication of their contributions. The articles in this expertly put together volume represent some of the best and most innovative psycholinguistic studies of bilingualism. The original ideas that are put forward in the studies will have a fundamental impact on the field for many years to come. An extremely interesting and very rich overview of twenty years of research and modelling in the field of bilingualism. A most worthy tribute to Kees de Bot's own very varied, often pioneering, contribution to the study of bilingualism, in particular in the field of L1 and L2 attrition. This volume properly celebrates Kees de Bot's long-standing influence upon psycholinguistic research into bilingualism. Key articles on language processing, lexical access, working memory, literacy, language attrition, code-switching, aging, semantics and language production illustrate just how vibrant this research is. An excellent overview of bilingual psycholinguistics and of Dynamic Systems approaches.