Bilingualism Course: Cognitive & Psycholinguistic Insights | IIT Guwahati
Course Details
| Exam Registration | 44 |
|---|---|
| Course Status | Ongoing |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Categories | Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit Points | 2 |
| Level | Undergraduate/Postgraduate |
| Start Date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| End Date | 13 Mar 2026 |
| Enrollment Ends | 02 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Registration Ends | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Date | 29 Mar 2026 IST |
| NCrF Level | 4.5 — 8.0 |
Bilingualism: A Cognitive and Psycholinguistic Perspective
In our increasingly interconnected world, bilingualism is far more than just the ability to speak two languages. It is a complex cognitive phenomenon that reshapes the mind, brain, and social experience. This 8-week course, designed and taught by Prof. Bidisha Som of IIT Guwahati, offers a deep dive into the fascinating world of bilingualism from a scientific lens, moving beyond simple communication to explore its profound implications.
About the Course Instructor: Prof. Bidisha Som
Prof. Bidisha Som is a distinguished teacher-researcher in Linguistics at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG). With a robust academic background, having received her Masters and PhD degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, she brings over thirteen years of teaching and research expertise to this course. Her research is centered on language processing in bilinguals, the interaction between language and culture, and cognitive linguistics. At IITG, she has successfully offered courses on bilingualism, language-cognition, and sociolinguistics as popular electives for B.Tech students, bridging the gap between engineering and human sciences.
Course Overview: What Will You Learn?
This comprehensive course is structured to unravel bilingualism layer by layer, from its societal roots to its intricate cognitive mechanics. It is designed for undergraduates, postgraduates, PhD scholars, and participants in Faculty Development Programs.
Intended Audience: Undergraduates, Postgraduates, PhD students, Faculty Development Programme.
Industry Support: Industries in domains related to human cognition, societal analysis, language technology, education, and marketing will find the insights from this course highly valuable.
Detailed 8-Week Course Layout
| Week | Core Topics |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Becoming and being bilingual: Socio-historical aspects, language contact, societal markers, types of bilinguals, and the bilingual continuum. |
| Week 2 | Bilingual acquisition: Exploring how children and adults learn a second language (Childhood Bilingualism & SLA). |
| Week 3 | Bilingual cognition: Language and thought (Linguistic Relativity), conceptual transfer, and models of bilingual memory. |
| Week 4 | Brain of a bilingual: Cerebral laterality, insights from aphasia, and how Age of Acquisition and proficiency affect brain organization. |
| Week 5 | Bilingual speech processing: How bilinguals perceive, comprehend, and produce speech in different contexts. |
| Week 6 | Bilingual lexical and sentence processing: Models of the mental lexicon (e.g., BIA, RHM), language production models, and factors affecting reading/writing. |
| Week 7 | Cognitive consequences: The bilingual advantage in executive control, metalinguistic awareness, and cognitive reserve across the lifespan. |
| Week 8 | Applied areas: Bilingual education, language policy, advertising, and current trends in research. |
Why Study Bilingualism from This Perspective?
This course moves past the surface to answer critical questions: How does managing two languages rewire the brain? Does bilingualism enhance cognitive abilities like problem-solving and multitasking? How does it influence social identity and business communication? By integrating linguistic, psychological, cognitive, and social viewpoints, the course provides a holistic understanding of how bilingual individuals process information and navigate the world.
Key Textbook and Reference Materials
The course curriculum is supported by a rich collection of authoritative texts, ensuring a strong theoretical foundation. Key textbooks include:
- Altarriba & Heredia: An Introduction to Bilingualism
- Myers-Scotton: Multiple Voices: An Introduction to Bilingualism
- Grosjean: Studying Bilinguals and The Listening Bilingual
- Pavlenko: The Bilingual Mind
- Hernandez: The Bilingual Brain
- De Groot: Language and Cognition Among Bilinguals and Multilinguals
This course is an exceptional opportunity to explore the dynamic interface of language, mind, and society under the guidance of an expert in the field. Whether you are a student of linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, or simply fascinated by the power of language, this journey into bilingualism will fundamentally alter your perspective on human communication and cognition.
Enroll Now →