LG219-5-SP-CO:
Multilingualism
2025/26
Language and Linguistics
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
14 January 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA QX31 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL),
BA QX41 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) (Including Foundation Year),
BA QX51 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) (Including Placement Year),
BA QXH1 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) (Including Year Abroad),
BA R8T8 Modern Languages and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (5 Years Including Foundation Year),
BA RX91 Modern Languages and Teaching English as a Foreign Language,
BA Q120 Linguistics with Data Science,
BA Q122 Linguistics with Data Science (Including Placement Year),
BA Q123 Linguistics with Data Science (Including Year Abroad),
BSC Q120 Computational Linguistics,
BSC Q121 Computational Linguistics (Including Foundation Year),
BSC Q122 Computational Linguistics (Including Placement Year),
BSC Q123 Computational Linguistics (Including Year Abroad),
BA R116 Language Studies and Teaching English as a Foreign Language,
BA R117 Language Studies and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Including Foundation Year)
This module approaches the topic of multilingualism from different perspectives by taking a cognitive, educational and social approach. We will consider multilingualism within the individual speaker/language user/language learner as well as the multilingual individual as a member of society.
The module will cover topics such as the question of whether being bilingual or multilingual conveys any cognitive advantages and the role of metalinguistic awareness in additional language learning and use. We will encounter theoretical models of multilingualism and look at the contexts in which they have been put forward. We will discuss crosslinguistic influence in multilingualism as well as the factors that influence positive and negative transfer between languages. The module will look at multilingual education and the role which multilingual learners can play in different educational contexts. We will also touch upon questions of language policy, especially in the area of education.
The aim of this module is:
- To introduce students to the complex field of multilingualism and familiarise themselves with a selection of topics in this domain in greater depth. We will focus in particular on the cognitive consequences of knowing/using more than one language and on how multilingualism is approached in education, both in the classroom and at the policy level.
- To consider theoretical models and look at the findings of specific empirical studies to get an overview of how multilingualism is conceptualised and investigated in current research.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to have gained an understanding of:
- The concepts of bilingualism and multilingualism and their different definitions.
- How multiple languages are represented in the speaker’s mind and how this may affect the speaker’s use of language.
- The interaction of language knowledge with other aspects of cognition.
- A usage-based approach to theorising and explaining multilingualism.
- Approaches to multilingualism in education.
- The status of multilingualism in society.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- One two-hour class per week for 10 weeks
Comprising a balance of lecture-style input and student-centred seminar activities including discussion and practical exercises.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Assignment |
|
80% |
| Practical |
Moodle Quiz |
|
20% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Karen Roehr-Brackin, email: kroehr@essex.ac.uk.
Karen Roehr-Brackin
Karen Roehr-Brackin (3.306), X2189, kroehr@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
Mr Conrad Hechter Heyns
Goldsmiths, University of London
Director - Centre for Academic Language and Literacies
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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