The impact of early bilingualism on controlling a language learned late: an ERP study

Clara D Martin,Mikel Santesteban,Kristof Strijkers,Albert Costa,Carles Escera,Robert J Hartsuiker

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00815

Abstract

This study asks whether early bilingual speakers who have already developed a language control mechanism to handle two languages control a dominant and a late acquired language in the same way as late bilingual speakers. We therefore, compared event-related potentials in a language switching task in two groups of participants switching between a dominant (L1) and a weak late acquired language (L3). Early bilingual late learners of an L3 showed a different ERP pattern (larger N2 mean amplitude) as late bilingual late learners of an L3. Even though the relative strength of languages was similar in both groups (a dominant and a weak late acquired language), they controlled their language output in a different manner. Moreover, the N2 was similar in two groups of early bilinguals tested in languages of different strength. We conclude that early bilingual learners of an L3 do not control languages in the same way as late bilingual L3 learners –who have not achieved native-like proficiency in their L2– do. This difference might explain some of the advantages early bilinguals have when learning new languages.

Highlights

When learning how to speak a foreign language people need to prevent massive interference from their first language
We will first compare the L1L3 LB and the L1L3 EB groups to answer the main question on the effect of early bilingual control mechanism
We focused our investigation on the N2 and Late Positive Component (LPC), two EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL (ERP) components usually encountered in language control experiments

Summary

Introduction

When learning how to speak a foreign language people need to prevent massive interference from their first language. A crucial ability the learner has to acquire is that of controlling verbalization in the desired language while preventing massive interference from the non-intended language. We ask whether acquiring this ability from birth affects the way a speaker handles language control in general, including control involving a weaker, late acquired language. To answer this question, we compare the language control system of a dominant and a weak late acquired language in two groups of participants: Late bilinguals and early bilinguals, all late learners of a third language. Bilinguals are Spanish-Catalan bilingual late learners of English as an L3. Late bilinguals are Spanish native late learners of Catalan as an L3 (English being their second language) 1

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