Abstract
Second language (L2) learners often show influence from their first language (L1) in all domains of language. This cross-linguistic influence could, in some cases, be mediated by semantics. The purpose of the present study was to test whether implicit English gender connotations affect L1 English speakers’ judgments of the L2 French gender of objects. We hypothesized that gender estimates derived from word embedding models that measure similarity of word contexts in English would affect accuracy and response time on grammatical gender (GG) decision in L2 French. L2 French learners were asked to identify the GG of French words estimated to be either congruent or incongruent with the implicit gender in English. The results showed that they were more accurate with words that were congruent with English gender connotations than words that were incongruent, suggesting that English gender connotations can influence grammatical judgments in French. Response times showed the same pattern. The results are consistent with semantics-mediated cross-linguistic influence.
Highlights
When processing a second language (L2), learners often show influence from their first language (L1), or cross-linguistic influence (Odlin, 2005; Jarvis and Pavlenko, 2008; Serratrice, 2013; Gujord, 2020)
Cross-linguistic influence (CLI) has been documented in phonology (Aoyama et al, 2004; Gildersleeve-Neumann et al, 2009; Liu, 2011; Alkhonini and Wulf, 2018), vocabulary (Sparks et al, 2009; Melby-ßLervåg and Lervåg, 2011; Yang et al, 2017), lexical choice (Navés et al, 2005; Burton, 2013; Mthethwa, 2016), morphology (Collins, 2002; Ivaska and Siitonen, 2017), syntax (Chan, 2004; Mthethwa, 2016; Ågren et al, 2021; Requena and Berry, 2021), idioms (Al-Mohizea, 2017), and even how frequently people gesture with their hands while speaking (So, 2010)
The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that L1 English semantics would influence the processing of L2 French grammatical gender (GG)
Summary
When processing a second language (L2), learners often show influence from their first language (L1), or cross-linguistic influence (Odlin, 2005; Jarvis and Pavlenko, 2008; Serratrice, 2013; Gujord, 2020). L1 speakers of languages in which complex consonants do not appear at the start of syllables (as the st- in stupid) sometimes produce L2 English words with an extra vowel at the beginning, like eh-stupid (Alkhonini and Wulf, 2018). The addition of this vowel makes the phonology of the word correspond more closely to the phonology of L1. The French-English bilingual children were more likely than monolinguals to misorder adjectives in both languages, like “the monkey purple” in English than monolinguals and “le violet singe” in French (Nicoladis, 2006); in other words, they showed negative CLI
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