International online conference “Metalinguistic awareness in additional language learning: current issues and future directions”

Conference dates: September 30-October 1, 2026. 

Plenary speakers:  

Maria Antonietta Pinto

The role of conflicts in the deployment of metalinguistic processing: data from children’s, adolescents’ and adults’ responses to metalinguistic tests 

Maria Antonietta Pinto 

University of Rome “La Sapienza” 

mariantonietta.pinto@fondazione.uniroma1.it 

Abstract: MLA has been defined in multiple ways by linguists, theoretical and applied, and psycholinguists, often with a blend of general cognitive mechanisms (distancing, metacognition, focused attention, control, flexibility, etc.) and more specific linguistic terminology (metalinguistic knowledge, meta-phonological, meta-lexical, meta-semantic, meta-grammatical, meta-morphological domains/abilities, etc.). However, limited attention has been devoted to the role of cognitive conflicts in the overall processing that comes into play when the individual, child or adult, is faced with a metalinguistic problem, except for Karmiloff-Smith (1992) and Bialystok (2001). The former explicitly denies any role of conflict in the representation-redescription process (the R-R model) that characterizes the qualitative changes in metalinguistic development; the latter fundamentally limits the role of cognitive conflicts to the semantic area, especially where disambiguation is required, since this triggers attention and control mechanisms. Based on extensive experience with metalinguistic tests I devised for children, adolescents, and adults, used in international research in various linguistic versions (www.pintomatel.com), I elaborated a theoretical framework (Melogno, Pinto, 2026), where cognitive conflicts occupy a central place in the processing of tasks of any type of metalinguistic domain. A fine-grained analysis of the responses given by the participants to meta-semantic, meta-pragmatic, and meta-grammatical tasks reveals that they are coping with conflicts that are intrinsically embedded in the puzzling way linguistic data are presented. Across the ages, across the metalinguistic domains and the inevitably increasing complexity of the tasks, we noticed a repetitive trend. Conflicts could be eluded in different ways (don’t know, tautological responses, or pure repetition of the item), acknowledged, but only partially analyzed, or analyzed in their main components and consistently rearranged in a way that gives sense to each element in its right place. Thus, the responses took the typical form of an argument to solve a conflict, and could range from totally insufficient to partially sufficient to totally consistent. In this talk, I will offer several examples drawn from this multifaceted experience with metalinguistic tests at different ages, highlighting the argumentative character of the responses as a way to face and solve metalinguistic conflicts. 

Bialystok, E. (2001). Bilingualism in development. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Karmiloff-Smith, A. (1992). Beyond modularity. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Melogno, S., Pinto, M.A. (2026). The Metalinguistic Mind. Typically and Atypically-Developing children. Springer Nature, Switzerland. www.pintomatel.com. 

About: Maria Antonietta Pinto is a professor emerita of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, founder and editor-in-chief of the Rivista di Psicolinguistica Applicata/Journal of Applied Psycholinguistics, and P.I. of the Lifelong European MATEL Project focused on metalinguistic awareness tests (www.pintomatel.com). 

Karen Roehr-Brackin 

Metalinguistic awareness in context 

Karen Roehr-Brackin 

University of Essex 

Karen Roehr-Brackin | University of Essex 

Abstract:  This presentation will provide an up-to-date overview of the concept of metalinguistic awareness in its theoretical context. Following a brief outline of established findings on the role of metalinguistic awareness in (additional) language learning, I will discuss factors that are known to interact with the development of metalinguistic awareness: language learning aptitude, literacy skills, metacognition with a focus on individuals’ self-concepts, and prior linguistic knowledge in the sense of bi- or multilingualism. These factors not only influence and are influenced by metalinguistic awareness, but are also interrelated with each other, yielding a complex network of associations. Bearing in mind potential differences between language learners/users of different ages (children, young adults, older adults), I will conclude with suggestions for future research on the topic of metalinguisticawareness. 

About: Karen Roehr-Brackin is a Reader in Applied Linguistics in the Department of Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex, the director of the Centre for Language across the Lifespan and the coordinator of the Applied and Experimental Linguistics Research Group at the University of Essex. Her research focuses on explicit and implicit knowledge and processes in additional or second language learning at different ages (children, young adults, older adults) as well as the role of individual differences, in particular language learning aptitude, working memory, and metalinguistic awareness. Her work has been published widely in international peer-reviewed journals, and she is the author of a monograph on metalinguistic awareness in second language acquisition (2018). 

The team of the research project “Education for plurilingualism: Metalinguistic awareness in early instructed language learning” (MetaLearn) is pleased to invite to an international online conference exploring theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical work on metalinguistic awareness in additional language learning.  

Metalinguistic awareness is commonly understood as the capacity to direct attention to language independently of meaning and to treat language itself as an object of analysis and reflection. In the context of additional language learning,

metalinguistic awareness has been identified as a key factor for language attainment, interacting with other individual and contextual factors.  

As educational contexts become increasingly diverse, revisiting the role of metalinguistic awareness is both timely and necessary. This conference invites researchers and teacher educators to discuss recent findings, ongoing research, and future directions in metalinguistic awareness across diverse learning contexts.

 

Important dates
  • Submission deadline: June 17, 2026
  • Notification of acceptance: July, 2026
  • August 1, 2026: Registration opens
  • Conference dates: September 30-October 1, 2026

Submission Types
  • Papers presentations (20 minutes + 10 min Q&A)

Submission Guidelines
  • Abstract length: 250–350 words for individual papers (excluding references)
  • Include additionally
    • 3–5 keywords
    • name, affiliation, and contact information
    • a 2–3 sentence biography for each presenter.
  • Language: English.

Each author can submit no more than 2 proposals (either solo or as co-author).  

Peer Review

Proposals will be evaluated in terms of thematic relevance, quality of content, significance, and originality.

Organizers & contact information
  • Contact person:
    Assoc. Profs. Christine Möller-Omrani & Monika Bader
    Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
    Bergen, Norway

MetaLearn project: https://www.hvl.no/en/research/project/metalearn/

 

Registration

Registration (opens August 1, 2026): https://www.hvl.no/en/research/project/metalearn/metalearn-conference-2026/