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Completed Lines of Research

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Photo: PRIM

Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism

Under the leadership of Prof. Harald Clahsen, the PRIM investigated the nature of multilingualism and aimed to gain a better understanding of how multiple languages are represented and processed in the individual. This line of research was officially concluded in March 2026.

Prof. Harald Clahsen

The Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism (PRIM) investigated the nature of multilingualism in children and adults, including patients with language disorders. Key areas of language processing were examined using behavioural and physiological techniques such as eye-tracking and electroencephalography.

PRIM has contributed to a better understanding of the way in which multiple languages are represented and processed in the human brain, with a focus on the temporal dynamics of multilingual use, both at the micro-level (by examining the temporal progression of speech production and comprehension from one moment to the next) and at the macro-level (by studying multilingual individuals at different stages of language development).

In addition to its research activities, PRIM has also advised practitioners and educators working with multilingual individuals.