In this paper, we analyse coreference annotation of the German language, focussing on the phenomenon of simplification, that is, the tendency to use words and constructions that are assumed to be easier perceived, understood, or produced. Simplification is one of the tools used by language users in order to optimise communication effectively. We are interested in how simplification is reflected in coreference in two different language products exposed to the phenomena of simplification: simultaneous interpreting and Easy German. For this, we automatically annotate simplified texts with coreference. We then evaluate the outputs of automatic annotation. In addition, we also look into quantitative distributions of some coreference features. Our findings show that although the language products under analysis diverge in terms of simplification driving factors, they share some specific coreference features. We also show that this specificity may cause annotation errors in simplified language, e.g. in non-nominal or split antecedents.

Foreign language acquisition takes place within a complex interplay of internal and environmental factors (de Bot et al., 2007). While studies highlight an interrelation between cognitive abilities and language acquisition (Bialystok et al., 2017), recent research focuses increasingly on the role of stimulating interactions as provided in the classroom (‘input quality’) and in the family (‘parent-child-interaction’); the latter often correlates strongly with the family’s socioeconomic status (SES) (Kersten, 2023). This study examines the longitudinal effect of teachers’ input quality and young learners’ attentional abilities and SES on their L2-English vocabulary and grammar acquisition. N=333 learners (grades 1-3) from different German elementary programs were tested for cognitive and linguistic skills over the course of two years. At test-time T1, Participants carried out a standardized attention test. A year later (test-time T2), L2-vocabulary reception was elicited via the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS), L2-grammar reception via the ELIAS Grammar Test. Teachers’ input quality was measured through videography using the Teacher Input Observation Scheme (TIOS) (Kersten et al., 2018), and children’s SES through a parental questionnaire. Research question: Do young learners’ attentional abilities and SES, as well as their teachers’ input quality, predict learners’ L2 lexical and grammar skills at T2? Regression analyses including attentional abilities, teacher input quality and SES as independent variables showed a positive prediction of T2-lexical skills (attention: R2 = .301, β =.155,p< .001,teaching:R2=.260,β=.213,p<.001,SES:R2=.244,β=.217,p < .001), as well as of T2-grammar (attention: R2 = .278, β = .174, p < .001, teaching: R2=.183,β=.182,p< .001,SES:R2=.225,β=.243,p < .001). School program (immersion/ regular school) and grade level were controlled for in both analyses. While strong effects of SES on language development are a robust finding in SLA research, the effects of teachers’ input quality as a predictor of L2-development (with a comparable effect size for L2-lexicon) highlights the potential of languagesensitive strategies in the classroom. The positive effect of attention on both L2 lexical and grammar outcomes a year later, moreover, adds an important aspect to research on the association of linguistic and cognitive skills. Results will be discussed with regard to the interplay of learners’ attentional capacities and teachers’ input strategies for L2 development (cf. Kersten, 2021).

Metalinguistic and phonological awareness (MLA, PA) are established predictors of SLA. PA is considered important for literacy development (Schnitzler, 2008), and has specifically been linked to both L1 (Avons et al., 1998) and L2 lexical development (Farnia & Geva, 2011, Hu, 2003), less to L2 grammatical skill (but see Engel de Abreu & Gathercole, 2012, Hopp et al., 2019; Kersten et al., 2025 for cross-sectional links in the current sample). For instance, a higher level of MLA was found to correlate positively with achievement in listening and speaking skills in English as a Second/ Third Language among primary schoolers in a multilingual immersion context (Hofer et al., 2025). Other studies stated positive effects of MLA in multilingual students with English as the target language (Walla, 2025). Research on how these relations are influenced by language support at home and learners’ bilingual experience, however, is scarce. While bilingualism was found to enhance metalinguistic skills in some studies (Triarchi-Herrmann, 2006), its effects are inconsistent (overview in Adler, 2023). Some findings also suggest that the home language support contributes to PA development (Lupas, 2023), either directly through parental reading and teaching (Foy & Mann, 2003) or indirectly via children’s oral and literacy competences (Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002). To further shed light on these relationships, our longitudinal study investigates the following question: Are L2 lexical and grammatical receptive skills a) predicted by parental language support at home and the learners' degree of bilingualism, and b) are these relationships mediated by learners' phonological and metalinguistic awareness? To that end, we examined the longitudinal relationship between parent-child-interaction (PCI) quality, degree of bilingualism (BILI), language awareness (Model 1: PA, measured through BAKO, Model 2: MLA, measured through MLAT-E), and later L2 receptive outcomes in lexicon (PPVT-5) and grammar (ELIAS-II), using two path models (SPSS AMOS, standardized regression coefficients). A parental survey yielded complex scores for PCI and the sum of diverse competences in a child’s strongest two languages (BILI). Results showed that: a) In both models, PCI predicted L2 grammar reception at T1 (PA-gr: β=.34, p<.001, ML-gr: β=.338, p<.001), but not L2 lexicon. In contrast, BILI showed a reversed pattern, predicting L2 lexicon but not grammar over time (PA-lex: β=.276, p<.001; ML-lex: β=.263, p=.003). b) Both variables also predicted language awareness, but inversely, with BILI showing positive values and PCI (unexpectedly) negative ones (BILI=>PA β=.299, p=.007; BILI=>ML β=1.284, p<.001; PCI=>PA β=–.299, p=.007, PCI=>ML β=-1.291, p<.001). Both awareness measures also robustly predicted both L2 skills (PA: lexicon β=.306, p<.001, grammar β=.376, p<.001; ML: lexicon β=.488, p<.001; grammar β=.433, p<.001). These results indicate two partially distinct mediation pathways: Degree of bilingualism predicts later L2 lexicon (directly and via enhanced phonological/metalinguistic awareness), while parental language support is directly linked to grammatical outcomes, despite its unexpected negative associations with the awareness mediators. This might be due to missing data from the parental questionnaires, which will be added for the final presentation.

This volume offers an examination of official bilingualism and multilingualism in contemporary Europe. Through case studies from Austria, Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia, it investigates how co-official languages function within institutional frameworks and how multilingual policies are implemented in practice. Particular attention is devoted to issues of terminology, translation practices, and language standardization in regions where majority and minority languages coexist. By integrating different approaches, the contributions reveal how minority and regional languages – such as Italian, Slovene, Friulian, and Ladin – interact within complex institutional and cultural settings. This volume contributes to current debates on linguistic diversity and multilingualism in Europe and will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners engaged with language rights, minority language protection, and the dynamics of multilingual communication.

Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown that learners’ linguistic and cognitive abilities are significantly related to their social and migration background, which, however, are often statistically confounded (Winsler et al., 2014). This educational gap can be explained, among other things, by a lack of language support in families with low educational background (‘parent-child-interaction’) (Paradis, 2023). In contrast, recent research increasingly demonstrates the potential of multilingual competencies in learners with a migration background for learning processes and their interrelation with cognitive development (e.g., Kersten, 2023, Steinlen, 2021). We report on the first assessment of the longitudinal multi-site project PROMISE (Promoting Multilingualism In School Education), which employs the same research design across five regions in Germany. It investigates the effects of teaching quality in all subjects on learners’ linguistic and cognitive development from grades 5-7. In this paper, we present results from baseline-tests (T1, beginning of grade 5) on selected variables, focusing on the following research questions: ─ How do learners’ cognitive abilities (working memory, phonological awareness) interrelate with their degree of multilingualism and a) their L2-English competences / b) their German competences, when controlled for social status and school program? ─ Do parent-child-interactions mediate the effect of social status on these cognitive and linguistic competences? The sample consists of N=250 5th-graders from 12 classes across different German school programs. Cognitive and linguistic variables were operationalized using standardized instruments (working memory: WISV-V, phonological awareness: BAKO, L2-lexicon: PPVT-5, L2-grammar: ELIAS, German lexicon: PPVT-4, German grammar: CELF-5). Learners’ home language/s, degree of multilingualism, social status and scales of parent-child-interaction were elicited with a well-established parental questionnaire (Kersten et al., 2021). Data are analyzed using regression and mediation analyses, structural equation and multi-level modeling, accounting for the nested data structure. As the final tests are currently being elicited, we formulate hypotheses based on our previous studies: ─ We expect a positive relation between learners’ cognitive abilities and their language competences in both the majority language (German) and the L2 (English), with a strong effect of social background on all skills. We further expect a negative association between degree of multilingualism and learners’ German, but not L2-English skills. ─ We expect that the effect of social status on all cognitive and linguistic variables will be mediated by parent-child-interaction. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the data at T1, no causal explanations can be derived at this point. The longitudinal design of the study, which will allow for this, will be explained.

Die Publikation widmet sich den vielfältigen und komplexen Wechselwirkungen zwischen Sprache und Gesundheit aus inter- und transdisziplinärer Perspektive. In einer globalisierten Welt, in der sprachliche und kommunikative Herausforderungen eine große Rolle spielen, wird die Bedeutung von Sprache(n) in Gesundheitskontexten immer offensichtlicher. Aus verschiedenen Disziplinen untersuchen die Beiträge die Rolle von Sprache und Kommunikation in Gesundheitsberufen im privaten und öffentlichen Leben. Der Band adressiert insbesondere Forscher*innen, Praktiker*innen sowie Fachleute aus den Bereichen Medizin, Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, Soziologie, Psychologie, Kulturwissenschaften, ebenso wie aus der Gesundheitswissenschaft und den angewandten Bereichen der Physiotherapie, Ergotherapie, der Geburtshilfe, Psychotherapie, Health Research und gesundheitlichen Coachings. Ein besonderer Fokus liegt auf der Analyse von Sprache im mehrsprachigen Kontext, sowohl aus der Perspektive von Translation als auch der interkulturellen Kommunikation. Zugleich werden einsprachige Kontexte und die speziellen Herausforderungen der Fachsprache und Literacies im Gesundheitswesen behandelt.

When investigating conditions for successful instructed SLA, it is important to disentangle instructional factors from individual learner differences (Paradis et al., 2017; Sun et al., 2021). L2 -development is strongly influenced by input, with recent studies highlighting the role of classroom input quality (Ellis & Shintani, 2014). Teacher input quality has been shown to significantly predict second language learning outcomes (Graham et al., 2017; Kersten et al., 2021; and Kersten, 2023, using structural equation modeling (SEM)). Beyond such instructional effects, understanding the interrelation of individual cognitive abilities and language skills is a central topic in contemporary language research (e.g. Sun et al., 2021). Cognitive factors such as working memory (WM) and attentional control have been proposed as predictors of SLA (e.g. Wen, 2016, Mora & Mora-Plaza, 2019). However, differentiating between these cognitive abilities is notoriously difficult and differs according to the underlying model. Engle (2002, p. 20) argues, e.g., that executive WM relies on attentional processes "to maintain or suppress information" (cf. attentional monitoring and inhibition, Kappa & Colombo, 2013). This raises the question whether attention as defined here predicts language outcomes independently of executive WM, and calls for a distinct operationalization with instruments that aim to tap into different WM and attentional components. A previous structural equation model (SEM) in primary schools showed differential effects of L2-input quality and of WM (indirectly) on L2 grammar reception, but not on L2 lexical reception (Kersten, 2023, cf. Kersten & Steinlen, under review, for the same effect in bilingual preschools). Building on this work, our study examines whether and how instructional and cognitive factors – WM and attention – interrelate to predict receptive lexical and grammatical abilities in L2 English using SEM. N=177 learners from nine secondary school classes in Germany were assessed for WM and attention at the beginning, and L2-receptive lexical and grammatical abilities at the end of Grade 5. We used subtests of the WISC-V (Wechsler, 2017) for WM, d2-R for attention (Brickenk et al., 2010), PPVT-5 (Dunn, 2019) for L2-lexical, and the ELIAS Grammar Test II (Kersten et al., 2012) for L2-grammatical reception. Teacher input quality was operationalized using the Teacher Input Observation Scheme (TIOS) with 41 items indicating task characteristics, verbal and nonverbal input and L2-output support (Kersten et al., 2025). Trained observers rated three English lessons per teacher. A SEM was calculated using SPSS_AMOS (30.), specifying the TIOS-score as predictor of all cognitive and language variables, and the two cognitive variables as additional predictors of L2-grammar and lexicon. Results show a good model fit (χ²(2)=2.96, p=.228, CFI=.996, RMSEA=.052). Teacher input quality significantly predicted working memory and attention, with an additional direct effect on L2-grammar. WM L2-grammatical and lexical reception, thus mediating the effect of teacher input qualit y on these abilities. In contrast, attention did not predict L2 outcomes. These findings suggest that high-quality teacher input interrelates with components of working memory to affect L2 acquisition, with a specifically strong effect on L2-grammar, as wa s found in previous research. Implications for classroom practice are discussed.

Foreign language acquisition takes place within a complex interplay of internal and environmental factors (de Bot et al., 2007). While studies highlight an interrelation between cognitive abilities and language acquisition (Bialystok et al., 2017), recent research focuses increasingly on the role of stimulating interactions as provided in the classroom (‘input quality’) and in the family (‘parent-child-interaction’); the latter often correlates strongly with the family’s socioeconomic status (SES) (Kersten, 2023). Our study focuses on the research question: Are young ESL learners‘ lexical and grammatical reception predicted by their attentional abilities, working memory (WM), socio-economic status (SES), and quality of received teacher input? N = 79 German learners of L2-English in immersion and regular schools were tested twice in an interval of one year (grades 3-4), using the BUEGA bp-test (Esser et al., 2008) for attention, subtests of the WISC-IV (Petermann & Petermann, 2011) for working memory (WM), the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS, Dunn, 2009) for lexical, the ELIAS Grammar Test 2 (Kersten et al., 2012) for grammatical reception, and a parental survey for social and linguistic background. Teachers’ input quality was assessed through classroom observations via the Teacher Input Observation Scheme (Kersten et al., 2018). A regression analysis with the three predictor-variables at test-time 1 showed significant predictions for grammar reception at test-time 2 (attention: β=-.452, p<.001, input-quality: β=.245, p=.028, SES: β=.419, p<.001, R2=.450), and for lexical reception (attention: β=-.384, p=.002, input-quality: β=.262, p=.036, SES: β=.293, p=.018, R2=.302), while working memory did not predict L2 skills. While strong effects of SES on language development are a robust finding in SLA research (e.g. Schwab & Lew-Williams, 2016), the effects of teachers’ input quality as a predictor of L2-development highlights the potential of language-sensitive strategies in the classroom. Moreover, the positive effect of attention (effect to be interpreted reversely) on both L2 lexical and grammar outcomes a year later, adds an important aspect to research on the association of linguistic and cognitive skills. The absence of a WM effect will be discussed in terms of its role in L2 intake relative to attention.