Oscillatory neuronal dynamics during L2 sentence comprehension: the effects of sensory enrichment and semantic incongruency

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the association between multisensory information and inner attention, the quality of multisensory information is hypothesised to modulate the neuronal activity associated with language comprehension. To verify, we investigated the interaction effect between multisensory quality (sensory enrichment) and semantic (in)congruency during L2 sentence comprehension. English words were selected for the subjects to learn according to the sensory-based emotioncy model. The words were embedded in an acceptability judgment task with 216 sentences under congruent and semantically incongruent conditions. Twenty-two subjects performed the task while their EEG was being recorded. Based on the time–frequency analysis results, in the 300–850 ms window, only lower delta power (1.7–2.2 Hz) showed an enhanced increase after sentences with semantic incongruency. This increase was more pronounced in the sentences with limited multisensory quality. To make up for the insufficient multisensory knowledge and maintain concentration, irrelevant cortical areas were deactivated as a result of lower delta wave synchronisation.