You won the lottery… NOT! Evolution, comprehension and structure of languages with late negation

dr. E.H. van Lier (ACLC), dr. M. Schouwstra (ILLC) 

Every human language employs a "negator" to express that something is not the case. Most languages place this negator before the verb; placing it afterward is relatively rare. Linguists theorize that negator-after-verb  is uncommon because it forces the brain to reinterpret a sentence’s meaning upon hearing the negator, though scientific proof for this claim is lacking. This project investigates late-negation languages using various methods, such as brain scanning of speakers of Cha’palaa, a late-negation language of Ecuador, and studying artificial language learning. By analyzing how humans process late negation, researchers aim to determine how cognition shapes language structure.

Little interpreters, big roles – When children interpret for their families

dr. J. Verhagen (ACLC), dr. Y.S. Sevinc (ACLC) 

Many children from immigrant and refugee families translate for their parents. They do this at home, at school, and often at the doctor’s office. While this can be a positive experience, it can also be stressful, especially in sensitive or complex situations. This project examines the effects of child language brokering on children and their parents. We focus on language development as well as emotional well-being. Our goal is to understand when child language brokering has positive effects and when it can be harmful, so that children and parents can be supported and protected.