Dr. Christina Nelson
Postdoctoral Researcher
Research Interests
Multilingualism across the lifespan
Cross-linguistic influence and phonological development
Longitudinal methods in language acquisition and language development research
Language use and development in bi-/multilingual families
Current Research
University’s Argelander Starter Kit Grant for my own independent research project. The project serves as a proof of concept for a future longitudinal study.
Framed within the growing multilingualism across the lifespan perspective, the study investigates parenthood as an underexplored extralinguistic life threshold that may prompt changes in language use and development. The linguistic impact of becoming a parent, particularly for bi-/multilingual speakers, remains largely underexplored.
development over time in bi-/multilingual families. Rather than focusing solely on the child’s linguistic trajectory as most previous studies have done, the study also considers the parents’ language development. By combining multiple methods, the project investigates how family language policies, language attitudes, and other affective factors evolve and shape language use. During this pilot phase, a custom smartphone app is being developed to facilitate future longitudinal data collection in this context
Previous Research
My doctoral research at the University of Münster also investigated multilingual language development from a longitudinal perspective, examining how a later-learned language impacts earlier ones, focusing on fine-grained phonological changes. Small groups of adolescent and adult
learners were recorded multiple times in all of their languages throughout
the first year of learning a third language. The study revealed that multilingual learners’ existing languages are highly dynamic and subject to change, with non-linear and individualized developmental paths. These
findings challenge linear models of language acquisition and emphasize the need for holistic, feature-rich, and longitudinal approaches to understanding cross-linguistic influence and restructuring in multilingual
systems.
Curriculum Vitae
Since June 2025: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Bonn
July 2019 – Feb 2025: Lecturer & Research Assistant, University of Münster
April 2017 – December 2023: Doctor of Philosophy, English Linguistics, University of Münster, Münster
April 2015 – February 2017: Master of Education, Educational Sciences and English Literature & Linguistics, University of Münster, Münster
September 2011 – March 2013: Bachelor of Arts, Educational Sciences and English Literature & Linguistics, University of Münster, Münster
September 2019 – December 2013: Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Publications
Gut, U., Kopečková, R., & Nelson, C. (2023). Phonetics and phonology in multilingual language development. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108992527
Nelson, C. (2020). The younger, the better? Speech perception development in adolescent vs. adult L3 learners. Yearbook of the Poznań Linguistic Meeting, 6(1), 27–58. https://doi.org/10.2478/yplm-2020-0005
Nelson, C. (2022). Do a learner’s background languages change with increasing exposure to L3? Comparing the multilingual phonological development of adolescents and adults. Languages, 7(2), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7020078
Nelson, C. (2023). Do a learner’s L1 and L2 change with increasing L3 exposure? Investigating regressive phonological cross-linguistic influence in adolescent and adult L3 learners [Doctoral thesis, University of Muenster, Institutional Repository MIAMI]. https://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:6-76988556505
Nelson, C., Krzysik, I., Lewandowska, H., & Wrembel, M. (2021). Multilingual learners’ perceptions of cross-linguistic distances: A proposal for a visual psychotypological measure. Language Awareness, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2021.1897132
Presentations
*Golin (maiden name, pre-2020)
Kopečková, R., & Nelson, C. (June 2025). Exploring phonological development in speakers of more than three languages. Presented at the15th International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB15), San Sebastián.
Nelson, C. & Kopečková, R. (August 2024). Exploring psychotypology in adolescent and adult L3 learners of Polish. Presented at the IAM
L3 Conference in Groningen.
Kopečková, R., Gut, U. & Nelson, C. (October 2022). Phase shifts in multilingual phonological development: The case of coda obstruents. Presented at the Workshop on Multilingual Language Acquisition, Processing and Use 2022, King‘s College London.
Gut, U., Kopečková, R., & Nelson, C. (September 2022). Modelling phonological development in multilingual speakers. Presented at the IAM
L3 Conference in Zagreb.
Nelson, C. (August 2021). Do the background languages change with increasing L3 influence? Presented at AILA World Congress 2021 in Groeningen -
Kopečková, R., Gut, U., Nelson, C., & Lowie, W. (August 2021). Multilingual phonological development through the lens of different time
scales. Presented at AILA World Congress 2021 in Groeningen.
Golin*, C., Kopečková, R., & Gut, U. (November 2019). Acquiring rhotics in L2 English and L3 Polish: A comparison of adult and child learners. Presented at r-atics, Paris.
Golin, C., Gut, U., Kopečková, R.,. & Wander, L. (August 2019). A case study of adult multilingual phonological development in the initial stages of L3 learning. Presented at New Sounds, Tokyo.
Kopečková, R., Gut, U., & Golin, C. (2019). Acquisition of the /v/-/w/ contrast by L1 German children and adults. In S. Calhoun, P. Escudero, M. Tabain, & P. Warren (Eds.), Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (pp. 3745–3749). Australasian Speech Science and Technology Association Inc.
Gut, U., Kopečková, R., & Golin, C. (May 2019). Multilingual acquisition of /v/ and /w/ by L1-German-speaking children and adults. Presented at L3 Workshop, Konstanz.
Kopeckova, R. & Golin, C. (March 2019). Phonological awareness in multilingual children and adults: An L2/L3 accent mimicry study. Presented at Language, Identity and Education in Multilingual Contexts, York.
Golin, C. (November 2018). Development of perceptuo-motor skills in the first year of L3 acquisition: A case of English and Polish /v/-/w/ learning by German children. Presented at Accents 2018, Łódź.
Golin, C. (November 2018). Speech Perception in child vs. adult L3 learners. Presented at YLMP, Poznań.
Golin, C.; Wrembel, M; Lewandowska, H.; Krzysik, I. (September 2018). The perception of language distance in multilingual acquisition: A proposal of a new measure. Presented at IAM L3 Conference, Lissabon.
Golin, C.; Krzysik, I.; Lewandowska, H.; Kopeckova, R.; Wrembel, M. (February 2018). Young multilingual learners’ perception of relative proximity between their languages. Presented at Language, Identity and Education in Multilingual Contexts, Dublin.
Kopeckova, R.; Gut, U.; Golin, C.; Sigmeth, K. (February 2018). Speech perception development in young L3 learners. Presented at Language,
Identity and Education in Multilingual Contexts, Dublin.