L2 Naming Research Articles

Mental representation of words and concepts in late multilingualism

Abstract Speakers of multiple languages must store the respective lexical items efficiently to enable correct access. Importantly, all items must be linked to semantic information and world knowledge. One prominent model of the mental lexicon of late bilinguals is the Revised Hierarchical Model (Kroll & Stewart, 1994), which postulates bidirectional but asymmetrical connections between separate stores for L1 (native language) and L2 (second/foreign language), and a shared conceptual store. Using German native speakers with advanced English proficiency, Experiment 1 largely confirmed model predictions regarding different preferred mental routes and processing times depending on translation direction. Moreover, the original design was extended by including abstract stimuli and picture naming in L2. A series of additional measures, such as proficiency and age of acquisition, served to specify the language experience of the participants and made it possible to compare the results with a group of non-native speakers of German (Experiment 2). Interestingly, the results suggest that the model also applies to two or more non-native languages, potentially influenced by the experimental and environmental language context.

When interlocutor's face-language matching alters: An ERP study on face contexts and bilingual language control in mixed-language picture naming.

The present study used event-related potentials (ERP) to examine Chinese-English bilinguals' reactive and proactive language control as they performed mixed-language picture naming with face cues. All participants named pictures in Chinese (first language, L1) and English (second language, L2) across three sessions: a 25% face-language matched session, a baseline session without face cues, and a 75% face-language matched session. Behavioral analyses for reactive language control showed that the asymmetrical switch cost was larger for L2 than L1 in the 25% session and for L1 than L2 in the 75% session. ERP results revealed more negative N2 and LPC during L1 switching in 25% session but enhanced N2 during L2 switching in 75% session. Similar N2 and LPC effect was found during L1 and L2 switching in the baseline context. For proactive language control, the reversed language dominance and enhanced LPC amplitudes during L2 naming were consistent across the three sessions. Our findings suggest that reactive but not proactive language control is modulated by the ever-changing face contexts, which highlights the highly flexible bilingual control systems subserving nonlinguistic cues.

Interference between non-native languages during trilingual language production

Most research on multilingual language control has focused on a bilingual’s first (L1) and second (L2) languages. Studies on third language (L3) acquisition suggest that, despite the L1 being more proficient, L3 learners experience more L2 than L1 interference. However, little is known about how a trilingual’s L2 and L3 interact after initial stages of language learning. In the current study (Experiment 1: 30 Spanish-Basque-English trilinguals; Experiment 2: 50 English-French-Spanish trilinguals), participants completed a speeded naming task to assess cross-language intrusions (e.g., using the Spanish “perro” instead of the French “chien”). Both experiments showed more L3 than L1 intrusions during L2 naming. Furthermore, using two different tasks, we assessed if this cross-language interference was related to language inhibition. Both experiments suggested that trilinguals inhibited their L1 more strongly than their L3. Together, this suggests that a trilingual’s non-native language might experience more interference from another non-native language than from their L1, possibly because trilinguals apply more inhibition over their L1.

Language dominance influences bilingual lexical selection quantitatively but not qualitatively in language production: Evidence from Chinese-English bilinguals

Previous research on bilingual lexical selection has mainly investigated the influence of the dominant first language (L1) on the speech production of the non-dominant second language (L2). However, research in the reverse direction is quite rare. Here we examined the influence in both directions using a bilingual picture-word interference (PWI) paradigm, where Chinese-English bilinguals named pictures in one language while ignoring distractors presented in another language. In both L1 and L2 naming, naming times were longer when distractors were semantically related to the picture names than when they were unrelated, resulting in a between-language semantic interference effect. In contrast, naming times were shorter when distractors were translations of the picture names than when they were unrelated, resulting in a translation facilitation effect. The results suggested that the mechanism of lexical selection in language production was in line with the within-language competition theory, showing no qualitative differences in the mechanism between L1 and L2. At the same time, the semantic interference effect sizes were not significantly different in L1 and L2 production, but the translation facilitation effect size was significantly larger in L2 production than in L1 production, indicating there exist quantitative differences in the mechanism of lexical selection between L1 and L2. A computational model was constructed to simulate naming performance and confirmed the accuracy of the within-language competition view in L1 and L2 lexical selection for Chinese-English bilinguals. We concluded that language dominance influences bilingual lexical selection quantitatively but not qualitatively in bilingual language production.

Subcortical Lesions Impact Confrontation Naming in Bilinguals with Later Age of Acquisition

Abstract Objective Multilinguals show greater subcortical activation during language tasks than monolinguals. Among multilinguals, prior studies found later age of acquisition (AoA) of a second language in association with more diffuse, non-traditional language representation. While such findings have clear clinical implications, little research has examined relationships among linguistic history, neuroanatomical integrity, and language skills in a clinical population. This study examined relationships between subcortical lesions and confrontation naming in strong bilinguals who acquired English (L2) later in life compared to those with earlier AoA. Participants and Method Forty-two bilinguals with Spanish as a first language (English L2) were selected from a database of veterans referred for clinical neuropsychological evaluation (M Age = 64 years; M Education = 12 years; 93% men). They reported strong bilingualism after L2 acquisition (M AoA = 10 years), with current English preference. Twenty-nine had neuroimaging, which was coded on a 4-point ordinal scale for lesion burden in white matter and striatum. Moderation models were tested for interaction between AoA and subcortical lesions in bilinguals using different L2 naming outcomes, controlling for age, education, occupation, and English fluency (i.e., Test of Premorbid Functioning). Results Moderation showed significant interaction of AoA with striatal lesion burden for scores on all naming tests, with a similar but less robust relationship between white matter lesions and naming outcomes. Graphical analysis revealed subcortical lesions had a negative impact on naming scores in those with later L2 AoA. Conclusions Results suggest “atypical” subcortical involvement in naming is more likely for bilinguals who acquired L2 later. While clinicians typically associate impaired naming with temporal lobe dysfunction, findings suggest subcortical dysfunction should be considered among bilinguals with later L2 AoA.

Language Dominance, Verbal Fluency, and Language Control in two Groups of Russian–English Bilinguals

This study explored language dominance, verbal fluency, and language control abilities of two groups of younger and older Russian–English bilinguals who had spent similar amounts of time as immigrants in the U.S. Verbal fluency tasks (based on letter and semantic cues, including a new method to elicit parallel letter-fluency data for Russian and English) were used to measure the bilinguals’ current lexical retrieval skills in addition to self-assessments of language proficiencies at time of study and time of arrival. Stroop tasks (naming colors with incongruent cues) were used to measure younger and older bilinguals’ ability to control interference during color-naming. Findings demonstrate that the older immigrants were less fluent in L2 naming tasks and that they remained dominant (more proficient) in their L1 whereas the younger immigrants had become relatively balanced bilinguals in terms of proficiency, fluent in both the L1 and L2. Younger and older bilinguals were equally capable of controlling interference across and within the two languages. We propose that it is not balance in bilingual proficiency that positively affects language control abilities, but balance as stability of language systems. Stability of language systems can be achieved if bilingual usage patterns remain relatively constant over several years and if no radical changes in language learning and maintenance efforts are required.

Bilingual lexical access: A dynamic operation modulated by word-status and individual differences in inhibitory control

A question central to bilingualism research is whether representations from the contextually inappropriate language compete for lexical selection during language production. It has been argued recently that the extent of interference from the non-target language may be contingent on a host of factors. In two studies, we investigated whether factors such as word-type and individual differences in inhibitory control capacities influence lexical selection via a cross-modal picture-word interference task and a non-linguistic Simon task. Highly proficient French–English bilinguals named non-cognate and cognate target pictures in L2 (English) while ignoring auditory distractors in L1 (French) and L2. Taken together, our results demonstrated that lexical representations from L1 are active and compete for selection when naming in L2, even in highly proficient bilinguals. However, the extent of cross-language activation was modulated by both word-type and individual differences in inhibitory control capacities.

Neural correlates for naming disadvantage of the dominant language in bilingual word production

The present study investigated the neural correlates of naming disadvantage of the dominant language under the mixed language context. Twenty one unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals completed a cued picture naming task while being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Behavioral results showed that naming pictures in the second lanuage (L2) was significantly slower than naming pictures in the first language (L1) under a single language context. When comparing picture naming in L2 to naming in L1, enhanced activity in the left inferior parietal lobule and left cerebellum was observed. On the contrary, naming pictures in Chinese (L1) was significantly slower than naming in English (L2) under the mixed language context. The fMRI results showed that bilateral inferior frontal gyri, right middle frontal gyrus, and right supplementary motor area were activated to a greater extent in L1 than in L2. These results suggest that the dominant language is inhibited to a greater extent to ensure the production of the second language under the mixed language context. Therefore, more attentional control resources are recruited when bilinguals produced the dominant language. The present study, for the first time, reveals neural correlates of L1 naming disadvantage under the mixed language context.

Word Naming in Bodo-Assamese Bilinguals: The Role of Semantic Context, Cognate Status, Second Language Age of Acquisition and Proficiency.

The current study investigated the effects of the semantic context, cognate status of the word and second language age of acquisition and proficiency in two word naming experiments (Experiment 1 and 2). Three groups of Bodo-Assamese bilinguals named cognate and non-cognate words in their first language, Bodo and second language, Assamese, which were presented in categorized and randomized lists. Experiment 1 demonstrated significant category interference for both cognate and non-cognate words; whereas, in Experiment 2, category interference was observed only in case of cognate words, indicating that naming in L2 was more prone to semantic effects. In Experiment 1, the magnitude of the category interference effect was larger for the low proficient bilinguals, but in Experiment 2, only the high proficient bilinguals demonstrated category interference effect. Further, cognate facilitation effect was not observed in both experiments which is in line with the findings of previous studies. The findings are discussed in light of the predictions of the Revised Hierarchical Model.

Novel L2 words do not facilitate but interfere with their L1 translations during picture naming – behavioural and event-related potential evidence

ABSTRACTEarly and late bilinguals name pictures in their native language faster when accompanied by the name’s translation equivalent from their second language. Here, we tested whether this effect also obtains with recently learned L2 words. Participants learned novel names for 36 familiar objects via a statistical association procedure. These novel words and their L1 translations were subsequently used as auditory (identical, semantic, unrelated) distractors in a picture–word interference task. Participants named the pictures with their L1 name (Experiments 1 and 2) or with their novel name (Experiment 2). Against our prediction, the L2 translations led to interference instead of facilitation in L1 naming. The reverse situation (L2 naming, L1 distractor) showed no interference. In event-related potentials, identical distractors induced a reduced N400 in all conditions except in the one that showed behavioural interference. The results are discussed in relation to models of bilingual language production.

The neural correlates of semantic and phonological transfer effects: language distance matters

Behavioral and neural correlates of cross-linguistic transfer (CLT) effects were studied at the word level, in a pair of linguistically distant languages. Twelve adult Persian speakers were tested on an overt picture-naming task in L2, during event-related fMRI scanning after an intensive computerized French lexical-learning program including cognates, clangs and non-cognate-non-clangs.In distant language pairs, naming in L2 is effortful and demanding. Thus, it is less automatic, and must recruit more neural resources for lexical retrieval, and articulatory processing; it also requires more attention and cognitive control, even in cases where there is phonological overlap. Activation observed with different word types reflects the interaction of language and other cognitive systems including executive control and working memory circuits, even with phonologically similar and highly consolidated words. Moreover, phonologically similar words (cognates and clangs) seem to involve the implicit memory processing, whereas phonologically distant words (non-cognate-non-clangs) seem to require explicit memory.

MSL in the digital ages: Effects and effectiveness of computer-mediated intervention for FL learners with dyslexia

The longitudinal intervention study reported here is the first to investigate the efficiency of computer learning software specifically designed for dyslexic Swiss German learners of Standard German as a second language (L2) and English as a third language (L3). A total of 40 subjects (20 of them dyslexics and 20 of them nondyslexics; 10 students from each group participated in in- terventions and the other 10 from each group served as control groups) were assessed with a battery of verbal and written pre- and posttests involving pho- nological/orthographic and semantic measures of their L2 and L3 before and after three months of daily intervention with the software. The results show that computer-based training in the L3 is potentially an important tool of intervention for dyslexic students as it has a positive effect on the components of L3 as well as L2 learning. As a consequence of their progress in acquiring the relationships between L3 graphemes and phonemes, the experimental groups, but not the control groups, made significant gains on L2 naming accuracy and speed, L2 and L3 word reading, L2 and L3 phonological awareness, and L2 and L3 receptive and productive vocabulary and comprehension tasks.

The temporal dynamics of first versus second language production

In this study we explored the temporal origin of processing differences between first and second language production. Forty highly proficient bilinguals named objects of high and low lexical frequency aloud for both L1 and L2 separately while event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The first electrophysiological differences elicited by response language occurred at the same early P2 peak (∼140–220ms) where we observed the onset of the lexical frequency effect, but only for those bilinguals who started naming in an L1 context and afterwards switched to an L2 naming context. The bilinguals who named objects in the reverse direction did not display a language effect in the ERPs. Taken together, the data show that the L2 naming disadvantage originates during the onset of lexical access and seems to be driven by both representational strength, which is lower for L2 words, and language control demands, which are higher for L2 words.

Language switching in picture naming: What asymmetric switch costs (do not) tell us about inhibition in bilingual speech planning

Meuter and Allport (1999) were among the first to implicate an inhibitory mechanism in bilingual language control. In their study, bilinguals took longer to name a number in the L1 directly following an L2 naming trial than to name a number in the L2 following an L1 naming trial, suggesting that bilinguals suppress the more dominant L1 during L2 production. Since then, asymmetric switch costs have not been replicated in all subsequent studies, and some have questioned whether switch costs necessarily reveal language inhibition. Based on methodological grounds and interpretability problems, we conclude that switch costs may not be the most reliable index of inhibition in bilingual language control. We review alternative proposals for the source of switch costs, and point to other indices of inhibition within the switching paradigm and from adapted paradigms.

Naming Abilities in Low-Proficiency Second Language Learners

Difficulties in second language (L2) learning are often associated with recognizable learning difficulties in native language (L1), such as in dyslexia. However, some individuals have low L2 proficiency but intact L1 reading skills. These L2 learners experience frequent tip-of-the-tongue states while naming in L1, which indicates that they have a weakness in retrieval of phonological codes of words. The authors hypothesized that if naming ability is shared across languages, this difficulty would reemerge in L2 naming, which was tested using the tip-of-the-tongue experimental paradigm. Consistent with this hypothesis, low-proficiency L2 learners (n = 15) reported more tip-of-the-tongue states, more frequently mispronounced correctly retrieved words, and benefited less from phonological cuing compared to high-proficiency L2 learners (n = 23). It is notable that low-proficiency L2 learners performed worse than individuals with dyslexia (n = 16) on some of these measures, despite the same level of L2 proficiency. These results indicate that L2 naming difficulties of low-proficiency L2 learners are a manifestation not merely of their low L2 proficiency but rather of a general weakness in phonological word form retrieval, which is shared across languages. More broadly, the study provides further evidence for the existence of a distinct profile of cognitive weaknesses characteristic of the behavioral phenotype of low-proficiency L2 learners.

Recovery of naming and discourse production: A bilingual anomic case study

Background: Differential language recovery in bilingual speakers with aphasia is of interest for theoretical reasons. One issue concerns the interaction between languages (L1–L2), word class (noun versus verb), and language task (naming versus discourse production in recovery). No study has examined this issue in Chinese speakers with aphasia who speak two dialects such as Cantonese and Mandarin that have different phonological and syntactic properties. Aims: We compared the patterns of confrontation naming and discourse production in YF, a Cantonese–Mandarin speaker with a chronic mild anomic aphasia after stroke. Our prediction was that there would be an interaction between the language, word class, and language task. Methods & Procedures: Naming was examined in Cantonese (L1) and Mandarin (L2) with an adaptation of the Object and Action Naming Battery (Druks & Masterson, 2000). Discourse production in L1 and L2 was analysed with the Quantitative Production Analysis (Berndt, Wayland, Rochon, Saffran, & Schwartz, 2000) and Conversation Analysis Profile for People with Aphasia (Whitworth, Perkins, & Lesser, 1997). Outcomes & Results: There were no significant differences in object and action naming or in discourse production between dialects. However there was an effect of word class on naming in L2, with object naming better than action naming in Mandarin, but not in Cantonese (L1). Conclusions: Word class had an effect on recovery in YF's less-dominant language as in other cases of bilingual aphasia. The interaction between word class and language status in a Cantonese–Mandarin speaker suggests that this pattern of recovery is robust across languages.

When bilinguals choose a single word to speak: Electrophysiological evidence for inhibition of the native language

Behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) measures are reported for a study in which relatively proficient Chinese–English bilinguals named identical pictures in each of their two languages. Production occurred only in Chinese (the first language, L1) or only in English (the second language, L2) in a given block with the order counterbalanced across participants. The repetition of pictures across blocks was expected to produce facilitation in the form of faster responses and more positive ERPs. However, we hypothesized that if both languages are activated when naming one language alone, there might be evidence of inhibition of the stronger L1 to enable naming in the weaker L2. Behavioral data revealed the dominance of Chinese relative to English, with overall faster and more accurate naming performance in L1 than L2. However, reaction times for naming in L1 after naming in L2 showed no repetition advantage and the ERP data showed greater negativity when pictures were named in L1 following L2. This greater negativity for repeated items suggests the presence of inhibition rather than facilitation alone. Critically, the asymmetric negativity associated with the L1 when it followed the L2 endured beyond the immediate switch of language, implying long-lasting inhibition of the L1. In contrast, when L2 naming followed L1, both behavioral and ERP evidence produced a facilitatory pattern, consistent with repetition priming. Taken together, the results support a model of bilingual lexical production in which candidates in both languages compete for selection, with inhibition of the more dominant L1 when planning speech in the less dominant L2. We discuss the implications for modeling the scope and time course of inhibitory processes.

Speaking words in two languages with one brain: Neural overlap and dissociation

The present study investigated the neural overlap and dissociation underlying overt word production in the first language (L1) and second language (L2). Twenty-four Chinese–English bilinguals named pictures in either L1 or L2 while being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). When comparing picture naming in L2 to naming in L1, increased activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral supplementary motor areas (SMA), left precentral gyrus, left lingual gyrus, left cuneus, bilateral putamen, bilateral globus pallidus, bilateral caudate and bilateral cerebellum were observed. This suggested that word production in L2 is less automatic and needs to recruit more neural resources for lexical retrieval, articulatory processing and cognitive control than in L1. In contrast, picture naming in L1 relative to picture naming in L2 revealed increased activity in the right putamen and right globus pallidus probably due to different phonological features between Chinese and English. In addition, the conjunction analysis, for the first time, revealed the common neural correlates underlying picture naming in L1 and L2.

Phonological facilitation through translation in a bilingual picture-naming task

We present a critical examination of phonological effects in a picture–word interference task. Using a methodology minimizing stimulus repetition, English/Spanish and Spanish/English bilinguals named pictures in either L1 or L2 (blocked contexts) or in both (mixed contexts) while ignoring word distractors in L1 or L2. Distractors were either phonologically related to the picture name (direct; FISH–fist), or related through translation to the picture name (TT; LEG–milk–leche), or they were unrelated (bear–peach). Results demonstrate robust activation of phonological representations by translation equivalents of word distractors. Although both direct and TT distractors facilitated naming, TT facilitation was more consistent in L2 naming and under mixed contexts.

Naming actions and objects in bilingual aphasia: A multiple case study

Patients with anomia typically have difficulty naming objects (nouns) and actions (verbs). Anomia is also observed in bilingual speakers with aphasia (Paradis, 2001 M. Paradis, Bilingual and polyglot aphasia. Handbook of Neuropsychology (2nd ed.), Elsevier Science, Oxford (2001).Paradis, 2001). However no study has compared action and object naming in bilingual patients. Bogka et al. (2003) compared the naming of objects and actions in normal Greek–English bilingual speakers. They reported effects of language status with naming in the first acquired language (L1) better than the second acquired language (L2) and an effect of word type with object naming better than action naming in both languages. Some cognitive models of bilingual language processing explain an effect of language status as a result of mediated access to L2 word forms (via L1) while others assume greater weight decay for L2 compared with L1 in the lexical system ([De Groot, 1992], [Kroll and Stewart, 1994] and [Kroll and De Groot, 1997]). These effects may be exaggerated in bilingual aphasia. Although all models predict that L2 naming will be less efficient than naming in L1, no model expects differences in object and action naming across languages following brain damage. We report here three bilingual speakers, BRB, a Turkish-English speaker, and JM and PJ, two German-French speakers; all made object naming errors in L1 and L2. We expected all three patients to perform better in L1 (Turkish or German) than L2 (English or French) on both object and action naming tasks. However, given results from Bogka et al. (2003), we also predicted that object naming would be better preserved than action naming; we further examined effects of word frequency, length, familiarity, imageability and AoA on object and action naming performance in L1 and L2.