Semantic and world knowledge integration during l2 sentence reading

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Semantic and world knowledge integration during l2 sentence reading Clara D. Martin1*, Xavier Garcia1, Audrey Breton2, Guillaume Thierry3 and Albert Costa1 1 Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain 2 Université de Lyon - CNRS, France 3 University of Bangor, United States The main goal of the present study was to investigate difficulties in sentence reading in a second (L2) compared to a first language. Sentences that we hear or read can be meaningful or not (e.g., Mozart composed classical/orange music) and can be true or false (e.g., Mozart composed classical/jazz music). Hagoort et al. (2004) tested the temporality of meaning and truth integration during sentence comprehension. They recorded Event-related Potentials (ERPs) from participants who had to read silently correct sentences (e.g., Mozart composed classical music), sentences with semantic violations (e.g., Mozart composed orange music) and sentences with world knowledge violations (e.g., Mozart composed jazz music). ERP data revealed that integration of both semantic and world knowledge during sentence reading happens in parallel (both violation effects observed 400 ms after the critical word presentation; N400 effect). In the present study, we investigated semantic and world knowledge violations during reading in L2. We hypothesized that difficulties in reading in L2 might be due to difficulties in world knowledge integration. While recording ERPs, we presented Spanish-English late bilinguals with correct sentences, sentences with semantic violations and sentences with world knowledge violations. Semantic violations induced a N400 effect, as previously observed in monolinguals (Hagoort et al., 2004). While world knowledge also produced a N400 effect in monolinguals, the effect was delayed in bilinguals (P600 effect). We concluded that L2 readers integrate semantic as monolinguals do, but integrate world knowledge later on in the processing stream. This delay in world knowledge integration might be one of the reasons why reading is more laborious in L2 than in L1. Keywords: EEG, Language Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neural Bases of Language Citation: Martin CD, Garcia X, Breton A, Thierry G and Costa A (2011). Semantic and world knowledge integration during l2 sentence reading. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00292 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 22 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Clara D Martin, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain, claramartin3@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Clara D Martin Xavier Garcia Audrey Breton Guillaume Thierry Albert Costa Google Clara D Martin Xavier Garcia Audrey Breton Guillaume Thierry Albert Costa Google Scholar Clara D Martin Xavier Garcia Audrey Breton Guillaume Thierry Albert Costa PubMed Clara D Martin Xavier Garcia Audrey Breton Guillaume Thierry Albert Costa Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.