Fred Genesee receives Roger Brown Award

McGill psychology professor honoured for achievements in child language acquisition

Fred Genesee, Professor Emeritus in the Psychology Department at McGill, has received the 2024 Roger Brown Award for exceptional research and leadership in child language acquisition. He is the first non-American and only the fifth person in the world to receive the award, presented today by the International Association for the Study of Child Language (IASCL) at its triennial international congress, underway in Prague, Czech Republic.

Over a career spanning almost five decades, Genesee has made groundbreaking contributions to the field of language learning in bilingual speakers and to the implementation and assessment of second-language education. His research has focused on discovering children’s capacity for acquiring language by examining language development in second-language learners and simultaneous bilinguals—children who learn two languages from birth—in diverse circumstances.

Established in 2011, the Roger Brown Award honours scholars who have made exceptional contributions to child language acquisition, advancing knowledge through innovative theories, promoting methodological advancements and enhancing collaboration within the research community. Genesee is the first recipient to be recognized for bilingual language acquisition research.

Worldwide influence on educational policies and practices

Genesee is widely recognized as a leader in the field for his extensive research on alternative forms of bilingual and immersion education for language-minority and-language majority students, those whose first language is different from or the same as the language of the wider community. By investigating language-immersion programs and alternative forms of bilingual education, he has systematically documented the longitudinal oral and written language development and academic achievement of students educated in two languages: their home language and another language. This research has had a profound impact on our understanding of bilingual education and influenced educational policies and practices worldwide.

In recent years, Genesee’s research has also centred on dual-language students: preschool and school-age children who have been learning two languages simultaneously from infancy or who are in the process of learning a second language after a first language has been established, and therefore are at risk for reading and language learning difficulties. His efforts aim to identify these students early in their schooling so that appropriate support can be provided.

Collaborating across disciplines

Genesee is renowned for research spanning a variety of fields, including psychology, neuropsychology, speech-language pathology, audiology, linguistics, sociology and education. His collaborative research has examined the neural signatures of late second-language learning in typical second-language learners, simultaneous bilinguals and internationally adopted children. Additionally, he is involved in research on the effects of early language experiences on language acquisition and memory development in varying childhood populations, including second-language learners, children with developmental language disorders and those with cochlear implants.

Throughout his career, Genesee has sought new partnerships to innovate and advance the study of language acquisition across diverse populations of children and adults. He has dedicated significant effort to sharing his expertise with the community, frequently advising parents, educational, and policy groups on topics such as second language learning in school-age children, bilingual education, and dual language acquisition during early childhood. He has also served as a consultant on these issues in numerous countries worldwide and is the author or co-author of more than 14 books on bilingualism.

Genesee’s work has earned numerous accolades, including the Canadian Psychology Association Gold Medal Award, Paul Pimsler Award for Research in Foreign Language Education and the Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Community or Public Service.