Neural Mechanism of Simple Sentence Processing in L2 Learners of English with Different Proficiency

Abstract

To analyze and explore the neural mechanism of simple sentence processing in L2 learners of English with different proficiency. The paper uses event-related potentials technology to comprehensively examine the processing advantages of relative clauses in L2 learner of English under a variety of life conditions and compares the processing differences of L2 learners with high and low proficiency. There is a LAN-P600 effect in Chinese-English bilinguals with high proficiency when processing similar syntax violations. There is only a P600 effect in the central apex area in bilinguals with low proficiency. For dissimilar syntactic structure violations, there is no significant difference in the neural mechanism for bilinguals with both high and low proficiency. The transfer of syntactic knowledge of mother tongue will exert continuous impact on the processing of L2 simple sentences and the effect of mother tongue transfer on L2 syntactic processing is greater than that of proficiency.