Keynote Speaker

Prof. Birdsong specializes in second language acquisition, bilingualism, and French linguistics. His research explores how age, dominance in bilingualism, and neuro-cognitive and experiential factors influence the attainment of a second language. Among his major contributions are his analyses of the “end state” of second language acquisition and the maturational constraints on adult L2 learners, as well as his empirical studies on adult French pronunciation and phonetics. Birdsong has authored seminal works such as Ultimate attainment in second language acquisition (1992) and has contributed to major volumes like The Handbook of Applied Linguistics, The Handbook of Bilingualism – Psycholinguistic Approaches, and The New Handbook of Second Language Acquisition.