Overview
Dr Eirini Sanoudaki ‘s research examines language in monolingual and bilingual speakers, focusing on children with developmental conditions such as Down syndrome. She collaborates with the Down's syndrome Association and other external partners on projects studying language and cognitive skills in typical and atypical development. She has published extensively in this field.
She pioneered research on language development in neurodiverse Welsh-English bilingual children, and has attracted UKRI funding for projects in this field.
She is Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Director of Postgraduate Research and Director of Welsh Language Matters in the School of Arts, Culture and Language. She also leads the Linguistics and Bilingualism Pathway for the ESRC Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS).
Eirini is passionate about bilingualism, and about encouraging the learning and use of Welsh. In 2021, she won a national award for the use of Welsh in the workplace.
Eirini is also the head of the Bangor University Child Bilingualism Lab.
Additional Contact Information
Email: e.sanoudaki@bangor.ac.uk
Qualifications
- BA: Philology
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, - PhD: PhD Linguistics
University College London, - MA: MA Linguistics
University of Reading,
Teaching and Supervision
PhD Supervision
Charlotte Cooper. Investigating the Language Learning Experiences of People with Multiple Neurodivergent Conditions. PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date October 2024.
Jazmine Beauchamp. Consonant Development in typically developing Welsh-English bilingual children. PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date October 2023.
Laura Maguire. Neurogenerative Models of Alzheimer's Disease in Bilinguals. MA+PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date October 2022.
Maryam Awawdeh. Reading skills of Arabic-English bilingual children with developmental language disorder (DLD). PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date October 2022.
Gareth Caulfield. Immersion Education and Bilingualism: Exploring Perceptions, Expectations and Effective Delivery. PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date October 2022.
Jago Williams. Bilingual development in children with a dual diagnosis of ASD and Down syndrome. MA+PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date September 2021.
Bethan Collins. Cognitive and Linguistic Skills in Emergent Bilingual Primary School Children in Wales. PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date September 2021.
Rebecca Day. Bilingualism in Rett syndrome. MA+PhD ESRC studentship in Bilingualism. Start date September 2019
Felicity Parry. Teachers' attitudes and experiences of the speech and language disorder identification process in bilingual pupils. PhD Bilingualism. Start date January 2020.
Athanasia Papastergiou. Language and Executive Functioning Skills in Greek-English Bilingual Children in the UK. ESRC funded PhD in Bilingualism. Completed 2021.
Rebecca Ward. Profiling language abilities in Welsh-English bilinguals with Down syndrome. ESRC funded PhD in Bilingualism. Completed 2020.
Maram Alamri. The acquisition of spatial relations by Arabic learners of English. Completed 2020.
Wesam Almehmadi. Pragmatic features in adolescents with Autism. Completed 2019.
Teaching
Eirini teaches advanced modules on language development and neurodevelopmental conditions, bilingualism, and research methods. She has also taught modules across many other areas of linguistics.
- QXL3316/4416 Language Disorders and Bilingualism
- QXL3317/4417 Child Language Acquisition
- QXL3303 Intro to Speech Language Therapy
- QXL4432 Linguistic Research Methods
- QXL4400 MA/MSc Dissertation
- QXL2235 Foundations of Multilingualism
- QXL2204 Morphosyntax
Publications
2025
- Accepted/In pressBilingualism in the preserved speech variant of Rett syndrome: a longitudinal case study
Day, R., Cooper, S. & Sanoudaki, E., 14 May 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2024
- Accepted/In pressIaith a’r Celfyddydau: Fforio technegau creadigol er mwyn cymorth dysgu iaith newydd
Collins, B. & Sanoudaki, E., 2024, (Accepted/In press) Prifysgol Bangor University.
Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report › peer-review - Accepted/In pressLanguage and the Arts: Exploring creative techniques to aid with learning a new language
Collins, B. & Sanoudaki, E., 2024, (Accepted/In press) Prifysgol Bangor University.
Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report › peer-review - Accepted/In pressNiwroamrywiaeth a dwyieithrwydd
Sanoudaki, E., Awawdeh, M., Beauchamp, J., Caulfield, G., Collins, B., Cooper, S., Day, R., Maguire, L., Papastergiou, A., Parry, F., Ward, B., Williams, J. & Williams, M., 22 Jul 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Gwerddon Fach.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPredicting Language Outcomes in Bilingual Children with Down Syndrome
Ward, B. & Sanoudaki, E., 3 Jul 2024, In: Child Neuropsychology. 30, 5, p. 760-782 23 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2023
- PublishedA study on the executive functioning skills of Greek-English bilingual children - a nearest neighbour approach
Papastergiou, A., Sanoudaki, E., Tamburelli, M. & Chondrogianni, V., Jan 2023, In: Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 26, 1, p. 78-94
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2022
- PublishedLanguage skills in Greek-English bilingual children attending Greek supplementary schools in England
Papastergiou, A. & Sanoudaki, E., 14 Sept 2022, In: International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 25, 8, p. 2834-2852
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe Executive Function of Bilingual and Monolingual Children: A Technical Efficiency Approach
Papastergiou, A., Pappas, V. & Sanoudaki, E., Jun 2022, In: Behavior Research Methods. 54, 3, p. 1319-1345 27 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2021
- PublishedBilingualism in Children with a Dual Diagnosis of Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Ward, R. & Sanoudaki, E., Jul 2021, In: Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics. 35, 7, p. 663-689
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedLanguage profiles of Welsh-English bilingual children with Down syndrome
Ward, B. & Sanoudaki, E., Sept 2021, In: Journal of Communication Disorders. 93, 106126.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2020
- PublishedPragmatic and Conversational Features of Arabic-Speaking Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Examining performance and caregivers’ perceptions
Almehmadi, W., Tenbrink, T. & Sanoudaki, E., 20 Jul 2020, In: Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. 63, 7, p. 2308-2321
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe bilingual advantage: a gender metalinguistic task in Arabic-English bilingual children
Althobaiti, H., Sanoudaki, E. & Kotzoglou, G., 24 Dec 2020, In: Journal of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech. 2, 2, p. 165-184
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2018
- PublishedThe beginning of the word: child language data
Sanoudaki, E., 2018, Sonic Signatures: Studies dedicated to John Harris. Lindsey, G. & Nevins, A. (eds.). John Benjamins Publishing Company, p. 190–200 ( Language Faculty and Beyond).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
2015
- PublishedLanguage non-selective syntactic activation in early bilinguals: the effect of verbal fluency
Sanoudaki, E. & Thierry, G., 2015, In: International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 18, 5, p. 548-560
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedΕπίσημα συμφωνικά συμπλέγματα στην ελληνική παιδική γλώσσα: δεδομένα μιας δοκιμασίας επανάληψης ψευδολέξεων
Sanoudaki, E., 2015, Selected papers of the 11th International Conference on Greek Linguistics. Kotzoglou, G., Nikolou, K., Karantzola, E., Frantzi, K., Galantomos, I., Georgalidou, M., Kourti-Kazoullis, V., Papadopoulou, C. & Vlachou, E. (eds.). p. 1520-1534
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review
2014
- PublishedAcceleration in the bilingual acquisition of phonological structure: Evidence from Polish–English bilingual children
Tamburelli, M., Sanoudaki, E., Jones, G. & Sowinska, M., 18 Nov 2014, In: Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 18, 4, p. 713-725
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedBigrammatism: when the bilingual mind juggles with two grammars
Sanoudaki, E. & Thierry, G. L., 9 May 2014, Advances in the Study of Bilingualism. Thomas, E. M. & Mennen, I. (eds.). 2014 ed. Multilingual Matters, p. 214-230
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter - PublishedPronoun Comprehension in Individuals With Down Syndrome: Deviance or Delay?
Sanoudaki, E. & Varlokosta, S., 1 Aug 2014, In: Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. 57, p. 1442-1452
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPronoun comprehension in individuals with Down syndrome: the role of age
Sanoudaki, E. & Varlokosta, S., 2 Sept 2014, In: International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders. 50, 2, p. 176–186
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedTask Effects in the Interpretation of Pronouns
Sanoudaki, E. & Varlokosta, S., 3 Jun 2014, In: Language Acquisition. 22, 1, p. 40-67
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2013
- PublishedThe acquisition of Binding by Greek-speaking children with Down syndrome
Sanoudaki, E. & Varlokosta, S., Jul 2013, Advances in Language Acquisition. Stavrakaki, S., Lalioti, M. & Konstantinopoulou, P. (eds.). Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, p. 435-443
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review - PublishedΑναφορική δέσμευση στα ελληνικά: η σημασία της επιλογής δοκιμασίας
Sanoudaki, E. & Varlokosta, S., 2013, Selected papers of the 10th ICGL [International Conference of Greek Linguistics]. Gavriilidou, Z., Efthymiou, A., Thomadaki, E. & Kambakis-Vougiouklis, P. (eds.). Komotini: Democritus University of Thrace, p. 1100-1109
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review
2012
- PublishedActivation syntaxique non-sélective à la langue chez le bilingue précoce
Thierry, G. & Sanoudaki, E., Jun 2012, In: Revue Française de Linguistique Appliquée. 17, 2, p. 33-48
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2010
- PublishedTowards a typology of word initial consonant clusters: Evidence from the acquisition of Greek
Sanoudaki, E., 2010, In: Journal of Greek Linguistics. 10, 1, p. 74-114
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2009
- PublishedStrength relations and first language acquisition
Sanoudaki, E., Jun 2009, Strength relations in phonology. Nasukawa, K. & Backley, P. (eds.). Mouton de Gruyter, p. 149-182
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
2008
- PublishedWord initial consonant clusters in child language
Sanoudaki, E., 2008, Proceedings of the Child Language Seminar 2007: 30th Anniversary. Marinis, T., Papangeli, A. & Stojanovik, V. (eds.). p. 120-130
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review - PublishedWord initial heterosyllabicity in acquisition
Sanoudaki, E., 2008, Language Acquisition and Development. Gavarró, A. & Freitas, M. J. (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, p. 381-385
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
2004
- PublishedΑλληλεπίδραση κατά τη δίγλωσση κατάκτηση μητρικής γλώσσας: η περίπτωση των αντωνυμικών συστημάτων αγγλικής-ελληνικής
Sanoudaki, E., 2004, Proceedings of the 6th international conference of Greek linguistics. Rethymnon: University of Crete
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Activities
2025
- Gwerddon (Journal)
2025
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2024
- Journal of Communication Disorders (Journal)
Nov 2024 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Languages (Journal)
Nov 2024
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Exploring bilingual advantages in executive functioning: insights from Greek-English and Welsh-English bilingual children in the UK
13 Oct 2024
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Working with Bilingual children in Wales: Experiences from Speech and Language Therapists, Early Years Practitioners and Primary School Teachers
Presentation at the North Wales Speech and Language Exchange 2024 conference
Oct 2024
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Bilingual Language Development in Rett syndrome
Oral presentation at the Symposium on Language Disorders and Bilingualism
Sep 2024
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Language and the Arts: Exploring creative techniques to aid with learning a new language
Oral presentation at the Symposium on Language Disorders and Bilingualism
Sep 2024
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Neurodiversity and multilingualism: insights from Wales
Keynote at the International Conference on Language Disorders 9
Sep 2024
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Advances in second/foreign language acquisition (Event)
Member of Scientific committee, Advances in second/foreign language Acquisition conference
2024 →
Activity: Membership of committee (Member) - International conference Language Disorders in Greek (Event)
Member of Scientific committee: International Conference Language Disorders in Greek 9
2024
Activity: Membership of committee (Member) - Journal of Communication Disorders (Journal)
2024 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2023
- Bilingual Language Development in Rett syndrome
Talk given at the 2023 Rett UK conference: This talk provides a brief exploration of bilingual language development in individuals with Rett syndrome, offering insights into the challenges and strategies for supporting their linguistic growth in multilingual environments.
2 Nov 2023
Links:
- https://rett-uk-2023-conference.heysummit.com/talks/bilingual-language-development-in-rett-syndrome/
- 14th International Symposium of Bilingualism
Bilingual Language Development in Rett syndrome
26 Jun 2023
Activity: Participation in Academic conference (Speaker) - Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics (Journal)
2023
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Journal of Communication Disorders (Journal)
2023
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2022
- Child Bilingualism: What do we know? How do we find out?
Two talks by Bangor University's Child Bilingualism Lab at the ESRC Festival of Social Science- Bangor 26/10/2022, Cardiff 03/11/2022. Members of the lab spoke about their individual research into childhood bilingualism in typically developing individuals, individuals with developmental disorders, and children who speak a heritage language.
26 Oct 2022 – 3 Nov 2022
Links:
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Byw gydag ieithoedd: taith ac ymchwil. Invited talk
22 Sep 2022
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - 15th International Conference on Greek Linguistics (ICGL15)
Oral presentation - Language skills in Greek-English bilingual children attending Greek supplementary schools in England.
17 Sep 2022
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Journal of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech (Journal)
Sep 2022
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Cyflwyniad Eisteddfod Labordy Dwyieithog Plant/Child Bilingualism Lab Eisteddfod Presentation
Talk given at the National Eisteddfod with the Child Bilingualism lab, on our research into the effects of bilingualism in children with Down syndrome, Rett syndrome, and executive functioning in bilingual typically developing children.
2 Aug 2022
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - 'Bilingualism and language development in neurodiverse children'. Invited talk. Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics Lab Seminar, University of Athens
27 Jun 2022
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism (Journal)
Jun 2022
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Journal)
2022
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Frontiers in Psychology: Language Sciences (Journal)
2022
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2021
- Guest Lecture- Rett syndrome
Gave a lecture on Rett syndrome to a mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Bangor University's QXL-3316/4416 Language Disorders & Bilingualism module
22 Nov 2021
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (Journal)
Sep 2021
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - International Symposium on Bilingualism
14 Jul 2021
Links:
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - International Symposium on Bilingualism
Poster: Longitudinal Development of Language in a Bilingual Individual with Rett syndrome
14 Jul 2021
Links:
Activity: Participation in Academic conference (Participant) - Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics (Journal)
May 2021
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Guest Lecture- Rett syndrome
QXL-4417 Child Language Acquisition
20 Apr 2021
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Sgwrs i Gymdeithas Chwilog
Apr 2021
Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Public lecture/debate/seminar (Contributor) - Applied Psycholinguistics (Journal)
2021
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics (Journal)
2021
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - External Examiner
External examiner, Linguistics and English Language, University of Bedfordshire
2021 →
Activity: Examination (Examiner) - External examiner, University of Kent
External examiner, MA in Experimental and Theoretical Linguistics
2021 →
Activity: Examination (Examiner) - Research in Developmental Disabilities (Journal)
2021
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2020
- Bilingualism Matters Research Symposium 2020
Is Bilingual Language Development Possible in an Adolescent with the Preserved Speech Variant of Rett syndrome?
22 Sep 2020
Activity: Participation in Academic conference (Speaker) - Aspiring Researcher's Conference 2020
Bilingual Language Development in Rett Syndrome
4 Aug 2020
Activity: Participation in Academic conference (Speaker) - AHRC grant peer reviewer
2020
Activity: Types of External academic engagement - Membership of peer review panel or committee (Contributor) - Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics (Journal)
2020
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - ESRC Grant peer reviewer
2020
Activity: Types of External academic engagement - Membership of peer review panel or committee (Contributor) - Research in Developmental Disabilities (Journal)
2020
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Studies in Second Language learning and teaching (Journal)
2020
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2019
- First Language (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2019 →
Activity: Editorial activity (Peer reviewer) - Language Acquisition (Journal)
Peer review
2019 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Sage Open (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2019 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2018
- Developmental Science (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2018 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Developmental Science (Journal)
2018
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - First Language (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2018 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Research in Developmental Disabilities (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2018 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2017
- Ward, R. & Sanoudaki, E. Bilingualism and Down syndrome: Evaluating the developmental trajectory of language and phonological awareness.Invited presentation at the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group symposium, London.
3 Nov 2017
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - External Examiner. Undergraduate Programmes in Linguistics. School of Languages, Cultures and Societies. University of Leeds
2017 – 2021
Activity: Examination (Examiner) - Research in Developmental Disabilities (Journal)
Reviewer
2017 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2016
- International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2016 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2015
- Issues in the interpretation of pronouns: typical and atypical development. Invited talk at the Developmental Science Seminar Series, UCL
23 Mar 2015
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Bilingual acquisition: interactions in the domain of phonological structure. Invited talk at the Linguistic Seminar Series, University of Essex
5 Mar 2015
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Bilingual Acquisition:research and implications
Talk at the Bilingualism seminar series, Bangor University
2015
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - External examiner
MA Linguistics dissertation, English Language and Linguistics, University of Kent
2015
Activity: Examination (Examiner) - Interactions in the acquisition of consonant clusters. Keynote at the GALA 12 (Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition) conference.
2015
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Lingua (Journal)
Peer review
2015 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - PLoS ONE (Journal)
Peer review
2015 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer) - Research in Developmental Disabilities (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2015 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2014
- Bilingual phonological acquisition
Invited Seminar, Faculty of Turkish Studies and Modern Asian Studies,
University of Athens
Jul 2014
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Language development in Down syndrome: the pronoun question. Invited talk at the Linguistic Seminar Series, University of Kent.
16 Feb 2014
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Language in Down syndrome. Invited talk at the Clinical Science Academic Meeting Series, St George’s, University of London
15 Jan 2014
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Journal of Communication Disorders (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2014 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
2012
- Bilingualism and Bilingual Acquisition, Invited seminar, School of Philosophy, University of Crete
May 2012
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
2009
- Language and Speech (Journal)
Peer reviewer
2009 →
Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)
Projects
-
Enjoyment and production of humour among bilingual speakers
01/12/2016 – 01/08/2019 (Finished)
Other Grants and Projects
2021-2025 ESRC Wales DTP doctoral grant (Principal supervisor)
Project: ‘Language Development in Welsh-English bilingual children with Down syndrome and autism’
Collaboration with Down's Syndrome Association
Postgraduate Researcher (PhD Bilingualism)
2018 ESRC/Wales DTP small grant: Collaboration (CoI and PhD Supervisor).
Public engagement project: ‘Bilingualism in children with Down syndrome: workshops for families’
Collaboration with Down's Syndrome Association
PI: Rebecca Ward
2017 ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Major Award: PhD Student Community Outreach Fellowship. (PI and Project Lead).
Project: ‘Childhood Bilingualism in Complementary Schools.’
Fellow: Athanasia Papastergiou
2016 Welsh Crucible grant. (CoI and Bangor Lead). Duration 9 months
Project: ‘Humour in Welsh-English Bilinguals’
PI Gil Greengross (Aberystwyth), CoI Manon Jones (School of Psychology, Bangor).
2016-2019 ESRC Wales DTP doctoral grant (Principal supervisor)
Second supervisor: Enlli Thomas.
Project: ‘Profiling language abilities in Welsh-English bilinguals with Down syndrome’
Postgraduate Researcher (PhD Bilingualism): Rebecca Ward
2009-2010 Postdoctoral research grant, Greek State Scholarship Foundation (IKY)
Project: ‘The acquisition of pronominal reference in Greek-speaking children with Down syndrome’.
Advisor: Spyridoula Varlokosta