English language and linguistics research seminar: Gunnar Norrman, Stockholm University: What the study of international adoptees can tell us about second language acquisition.

The study of human cognition largely depends on populations with experiences that constitute “natural experiments” within the domain of interest. International adoptees are studied here because their first language (L1) development is terminated following adoption, while the adoptive language is acquired without any contact with their native language environment. This makes it possible to examine neurocognitive traces of the L1 and to assess the impact of early experience with specific language structures. The new language is also acquired chronologically as a second language (L2) albeit at a different level of maturation and neural specialization for language in the brain compared to L1, although it quickly becomes the language of primary use. In this talk I will present recent advances in the understanding of international adoptees’ long-term language development, and I will explain why the study of this group is crucial for resolving current issues in second language acquisition research.