The University of Luxembourg hosts an international branch of Bilingualism Matters, a research and information centre with headquarters at the University of Edinburgh and international partner branches all over the world.
The Bilingualism Matters branch is be located at the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences and brings together more than 20 researchers and experts working in the field of multilingualism at the University of Luxembourg. The Luxembourg branch was officially launched by the minister of Education, Children and Youth Claude Meisch, the University of Luxembourg vice-rector for academic affairs Prof. Bilingualism Matters, the founding director of Catherine Léglu from the University of Edinburgh Prof. Antonella Sorace and the director of the new branch in Luxembourg Prof. Claudine Kirsch, during a virtual opening session on 5 March 2021. The session concluded with a roundtable with international researchers and professionals from the education and health sector sharing their experiences in the field of multilingualism.
“Our research at the University of Luxembourg covers a vast variety of fields from the study of language development, language and literacy practices to the acquisition of one or several languages, literacy development and language disorders, and language policies and identity construction. We have different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, come from different countries, and earned degrees in different disciplines such as sociolinguistics, linguistics, philology, education and psychology”, Prof. Kirsch explains. “Bilingualism Matters is an exceptional opportunity for us to pull our resources together and make our research more visible within the university and in society. Apart from increasing opportunities for collaboration in our university, it will also facilitate research projects with members of other international branches, allowing us to broaden our expertise to new areas”, Prof. Kirsch continues.
The newly created centre will provide scientific knowledge and advice on multilingualism to the public and act as a bridge builder between science and society. Online resources will be made available to teachers, parents and professionals. Workshops, conferences, and lectures are in the making stages. “I’m delighted to launch a new branch in Luxembourg”, says Prof. Sorace, founder of Bilingualism Matters. “I look forward to working together on both research and public engagement in the ideal multilingual environment offered by Luxembourg.
“Felicidades”, says Prof. Ofelia García, Professor emeritus at the CUNY Graduate Center, New York and one of the leading experts in bilingual education. “I can’t wait for the work you are going to do. It will complement the good work that is already taking place in Luxembourg.”
Luxembourg with its three official languages and its multilingual education system is indeed the perfect ground for conducting research in multilingualism. “Our aim is to generate high quality research that will not only be beneficial for learning and teaching but that also provides relevant insights to national policy makers and industry professionals”, Prof. Kirsch concludes.