Key research themes
1. How do Portuguese-lexified creoles illustrate the dynamics and diachrony of language contact and creolization?
This theme explores Portuguese-lexified creoles (PLCs) as some of the oldest European-lexified contact languages formed during the Early Modern Age's colonial expansions. Research focuses on their sociolinguistic diversity, typological variation due to extensive language contact, shifts in lexifier influence, and sociopolitical trajectories that exemplify long-term contact effects, creole formation theories, and post-formative linguistic dynamics.
2. How does multilingualism and language contact operate within intercultural and globalized communication contexts?
This theme investigates how multilingual practices function as tools of intercultural communication amid globalization and technological advances. It examines evolving interlanguage communication paradigms, the economic and marketing dimensions affecting translation and localization, and bilingual practices fostered in educational and cross-cultural settings. The research highlights the role of language contact beyond traditional linguistic frameworks, focusing on sociocultural dynamics and communication strategies in diverse global locales.
3. What are the methodological challenges and cognitive-social mechanisms in researching language contact and multilingualism?
This theme covers methodological reflections on language contact fieldwork, theoretical conceptualizations of language as a cognitive-social phenomenon, and the integration of sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and computational methods to understand linguistic dynamics in contact settings. Research considers how individual speaker cognition, social identity, and interactional strategies mediate contact-induced variation, encouraging interdisciplinary frameworks for capturing complex multilingual realities.