Discourse Comprehension in L1 and L2

Abstract

The present dissertation contributes to the research on bilingual language processing by investigating the influence of increasing discourse context on the semantic processing of words by advanced learners of German (L2) as compared to native speakers (L1). In a laboratory setting, the cognitive processing of familiar words and meaning deduction of novel words from the semantic clues provided in the growing preceding discourse were explored in reading and listening comprehension tasks. In an EEG study, individuals’ brain reaction to the critical word in a text was recorded during silent reading. The analysis of the event-related brain potential N400, a marker of semantic processing, indicated that even reduced biasing context rich in semantic cues related to the meaning of the critical known word eased the processing of this word in both groups of participants. Coherent neutral context which provided no specific information to the meaning of the critical word did not have such a facilitatory effect. However, when a novel word occurred in a text, only native speakers and not L2 learners appeared to benefit from an increased biasing context to deduce the meaning of the incoming novel word in real time. The research question was extended to investigate the comprehenders’ ability to predict the upcoming target word by using the semantic cues provided in the preceding discourse context. In an eye-tracking study, during listening to coherent texts and viewing scenario-related images on the screen the individuals’ looks to critical picture were recorded before the corresponding critical word was explicitly named in the discourse. The results suggest that native speakers were able to anticipate the upcoming input even on the basis of semantic details in reduced biasing context. Whereas for L2 learners reduced biasing context appeared to have lower predictive power. Contrary to the results of the reading study, both L1 and L2 speakers demonstrated equal ability to deduce the meaning of the novel critical word from the semantic details provided by the increased discourse context. This might imply that in a more naturalistic language processing environment provided multi-sensory information input, increased discourse elicits a similar facilitation effect on the processing of context-bound words in L2 learners as in native speakers. The results of both studies were discussed against the background of memory-based theories of discourse processing. It was assumed that reported differences in L1 and L2 discourse-bound word processing might be attributed to their partial disparity in the construction of mental models of processed discourse in real time. The findings of the current thesis contribute to overall better understanding of discourse processing strategies by providing new empirical evidence of how written and spoken texts are processed in real time by L2 learners of German and in which aspects text processing in L1 and L2 differ from each other. From the point of view of second language didactics, the gained results might be interpreted as evidence of the effectiveness of context-based semantization strategy. The conclusions drawn from the analysis of the empirically obtained data can be implemented in second language didactics to improve the efficiency of discourse comprehension in second language learners.