This volume brings together current linguistic research in a range of pre-dominantly multilingual contexts. The authors draw on data from different languages and speech communities around the world, and together the chapters offer a broad picture of language acquisition, development and use – among both children and adults. While this is a valuable undertaking in its own right, the main reason for this collection is to pay tribute to Gisela Håkansson on her 65th birthday. Throughout her career Gisela Håkansson has made, and continues to make, a very significant contribution to the field of linguistics, in particular through her research in first and second language acquisition, multilingualism and language impairment. The authors and editors of this volume have all collaborated with Gisela in one way or other: as partners in international and national research projects, or as colleagues, particularly in the Centre for Languages and Literature at Lund University, where she is professor of linguistics.