MULTILINGUALISM AND MULTISENSORY TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

This paper aims to examine how multilingualism and multisensory digital technologies mutually reinforce each other and how their interaction may contribute to the development of more inclusive language learning ecosystems. After outlining the theoretical framework of multilingualism in its cognitive, metalinguistic and socio-communicative dimensions, the study reviews key evidence on the impact of digital devices, with a focus on multisensory technologies.

The literature highlights how tools such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and immersive environments can act as complex cognitive settings, enhancing lexical memory, supporting contextualised meaning-making and fostering implicit learning. At the same time, multilingualism emerges as a cognitive resource linked to greater tolerance of informational complexity, more efficient management of competing inputs and increased adaptability in multimodal contexts.

Overall, multisensory technologies appear not only to support but also to reshape language learning processes through the integration of symbolic and perceptual systems, pointing to the need for further empirical research on their transformative potential.