The Cognitive Nature of Bilingual Reading

Dear Colleagues,

This is a call for papers for a Special Issue of Languages on the cognitive nature of bilingual reading. We know that bilinguals are not simply two monolinguals in one. Instead, the cognitive architecture of the bilingual mind differs in fundamental ways from monolinguals. Although the last two decades has brought a much-needed increased research focus on bilingual reading, it is still the case that the most influential models and theories of reading are based on monolingual performance.  The goal of this issue is to provide a collection of research articles that reflect the most recent, cutting-edge advances in our understanding of the cognitive features of bilingual reading. The central questions and/or hypotheses of submissions should be focused on bilingualism and/or bi-dialectalism.

The scope is across the lifespan; we seek submissions addressing child language acquisition, emergent literacy and early reading development as well as studies on young and older adult reading processes. We particularly encourage submissions that address issues of language minority and heritage speaker status, which has a key impact on access to literacy experiences. We also seek research that examines reading processes in bi-dialectal populations, a much-neglected area to date. We encourage submissions that reflect a variety of paradigms and methods, from behavioral to neuroimaging.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editors (aischwartz@utep.edu) or to the Languages editorial office (languages@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

The tentative completion schedule is as follows:

• Abstract submission deadline: 15 March 2021
• Notification of abstract acceptance: 15 April 15 2021
• Full manuscript deadline: 1 October 2021

Dr. Ana I. Schwartz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Languages is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.