Cultural familiarity in inferential and literal comprehension in L2 reading

Abstract

Abstract This study explores the role of culturally familiar background knowledge in inferential and literal comprehension in L2 reading. Ninety-eight Turkish EFL (English as a Foreign Language) university students were divided into two groups of equivalent English proficiency. They read either the original of an American short story or a ‘nativized’ version, textually and contextually modified to reflect the learner’s own culture. They then answered multiple-choice comprehension questions aimed at checking inferential and literal comprehension independently across the two versions of the story. The results demonstrate that the nativization of a short story from the target language culture facilitates L2 readers’ inferential comprehension significantly, yet does not affect their literal understanding. As such, the results point to a non-interface between inferential comprehension and literal understanding, contrary to the commonly held assumption that an interface exists.