I am a language scientist, and I investigate how babies discover the sensory structure of the languages they hear around them, and how this translates into language learning. I started the Brain, Language and Intersensory Perception Lab (BLIP Lab) at NTU in Singapore so we could find out more about how this happens for kids hearing multiple languages at the same time.

Here in Singapore, it is completely normal to grow up multilingual, and to speak different languages throughout your life. In our lab, we look at the way different families use their different languages when they speak with their babies, and how this influences language development. It’s a fantastic opportunity to investigate the emergence of multilingualism in a context where it’s the norm!

Starting today, for the International Day of Multilingualism we’ll be sharing lots of stories about multilingualism in Singapore – what it’s like to grow up in such a multilingual place, how different people feel about their different languages, and some of the core research questions we are working on as a team.

I hope you’ll join us  in our discoveries!

Dr Suzy J Styles is Director of the BLIP Lab