Dr Bene Bassetti
Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
I am an applied linguist researching the psychology of language learning and bilingualism. I study how knowing more than one language affects the way we think. My research draws on linguistic relativity and multi-competence, and I use quantitative—primarily experimental—methods, alongside qualitative methods.
Before moving to Italy, I held academic positions at Birkbeck, University of London, and the Universities of York, Warwick and Birmingham. My research has been supported by the British Academy, the ESRC, the Leverhulme Trust and the Spencer Foundation. I have published in Applied Psycholinguistics, International Journal of Bilingualism, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition and Language Learning among others. My first monograph Effects of orthography on second language phonology was published by Routledge in 2023.
Professional affiliations
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News
16 July 2026 — A new paper accepted
Our paper ‘The uneven advantage of multiword sequences: How idioms and collocations are processed in L1 and L2’ has been accepted by Applied Psycholinguistics. Well done to Wanyin Li, the first author and my former PhD student!
3 June 2026 — My first conference presentation in Italian
I presented my research on sacred language learning at the 11th Conference of the Italian Society for Language Teaching and Educational Linguistics in beautiful Naples. This was my first conference presentation in Italian!
2 March 2026 — Jean-Marc Dewaele is our Visiting Professor
My friend, co-author and former mentor Jean-Marc Dewaele accepted my invitation and came for three months as a Visiting Professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
(Hint: the photo was not taken in Reggio Emilia)