Personal Page UU

I was born in Wageningen, the Netherlands on 17 April 1980. I completed my A-level secondary education in Kampen, the Netherlands, taking all the language courses (Dutch, English, German, French, Latin and Greek), Geography and Mathematics. From 1998 to 2002, I studied English Language and Culture at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and graduated as part of a joint degree in English language and linguistics and Applied Linguistics. As part of this degree, I took courses such as Language Change and Language Variation, but also Psycholinguistics, Child Language Acquisition and Development, Language Disorders and Didactics of Modern Foreign Language Education. I graduated with distinction on an MA thesis that was an effect study of a computer-assisted remedial program for the English language classroom for Dutch dyslexic and poor spellers in secondary education. After graduation, I stayed at the Vrije Universiteit and in 2007 completed my PhD thesis on the first language attrition of Dutch emigrants in Anglophone Canada. As part of my PhD degree I spent half a year as a guest researcher/lecturer at the University of Western Ontario in Canada for data collection purposes. I then spent two years as an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands where I taught mainly English language proficiency courses, but also courses on oral presenting. Since 2008 I have been affiliated to the Department of English Language and Culture of the University of Utrecht where I teach in the proficiency program, but I also coordinate and teach courses on language acquisition and language attrition in the linguistics program. Starting 1 July 2010 my main tasks involve research as part of a VENI project (4-year research project on the basis of a stipend granted by the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research, NWO). As part of this project I look at the – often anecdotally reported – reversion to the first language in elderly Dutch immigrants in Australia. In particular, I investigate whether this reversion is a purely linguistic phenomenon or whether it is caused by general cognitive decline associated with advanced age.

My research interests can be described as language development across the lifespan and include first and second language acquisition and first and second language attrition. More specifically, by uncovering parallels and divergences between all these language system in flux, a window in the mind of what language exactly is can be provided. I firmly believe that the study of language should be embedded in the broader field of cognitive studies as I do not believe that language is separately encapsulated in the brain. As such, my research takes a cognitive perspective and I try to combine insights from cognitive and behavioral science and linguistics. Related to that, I believe that language is a communication tool and should therefore be studied in use rather than as a mechanical process that can be captured in diagrams. The outcome of linguistics enterprises should instead complement society. For instance, knowing how first and second language acquisition differs could directly assist teaching practices. Similarly, knowledge of the shifting language dominance in elderly bilingual migrants can inform health care provisions, which are not always adept at catering for elderly migrants.

From 1 July 2010 onwards I direct a research project on L1 reversion among elderly Dutch immigrants in Australia. A more elaborate description of this project is given below, followed by information on how to register as a subject for this study:

There is now also a Facebook page about the bilingualism and aging project, also intended for researchers working on similar topics. This website can be found through Facebook (search for 'the bilingualism and aging project')

Call for subjects!

For the benefit of my research project (see research folder on this website), I am looking for subjects who would like to be involved in this project and are either Dutch expats in Australia, monolingual English speakers in Australia or monolingual Dutch speakers in the Netherlands. You will be tested using both language tasks and neuropsychological testing methods. Testing will take place from December 2011 until the spring of 2012, either at Monash University in Melbourne (for the Dutch migrants in Australia and monolingual Australian group) or at Utrecht University in the Netherlands (for the non-immigrant Dutch population). Alternatively, should you not be in a position to come to these testing locations, testing can take place in your own home. Testing will be divided over two sessions, each lasting two hours at the most. All subjects will naturally be reimbursed for travel expenses and will receive a small fee to thank them for their participation. Perhaps most importantly, subjects who take part in this type of research normally indicate that they enjoy the experience of being part of a scientific study and enjoy the tests, which resemble (mind) games and do not feel like tests that are common in school environments. Should you be interested in taking part and you fall in one of the age categories I am looking for (40-45; 60-65 or 75+), I would very much like to hear from you. Please contact me by email: M.C.J.Keijzer@uu.nl or by regular mail: Merel Keijzer, English Language and Culture, Utrecht University, Trans 10, 3512 JK Utrecht, the Netherlands. I will then send you a subject form for you to complete in order to gather more background information from you. I will always get in touch with you and should you meet the criteria for inclusion in the project, I will set a date in collaboration with you.