How multilingual experience shapes the language system

Speaking multiple languages is becoming increasingly important in our society. The influence of foreign languages on our mother tongue is a recurring topic of conversation. How do multilingual speakers separate languages in their mind? They don’t. Research shows that not only words, but also the grammars of different languages influence each other. I use computer models to investigate how this interaction between grammatical construction works, depending on individual differences between speakers. In the long run, my research can contribute to insight in language change through contact between languages, and in second language grammar teaching.