When multilingual speakers are using two or three languages itis not surprising that their linguistic systems interact. In terms of theirsound systems, the phonological representations of each language aresimultaneously activated, creating competition between languages. In thesecommunicative contexts, we can expect a deviation of the target phoneticimplementation towards the non-target language during online speech processing. 

In this talk I will report on the results of a project that investigates theflexibility of the sound systems of multilingual individuals, with a specificfocus on the phonetic interactions in bilingual and trilingual speech. Morespecifically, I will provide data on L2 learners and Heritage speakers thatexamine the acoustic realization of language-specific sounds to investigatestatic and dynamic interlingual influence in the acquisition of L2 and L3 sounds. 

The talk will conclude with several methodological and theoreticalconsiderations for the study of the phonology of bilingual and trilingual speakers.