Naming abilities in low-proficiency second language learners.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Linguistics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Second language (L2) learning difficulties are often linked to native language (L1) issues like dyslexia.
• However, some individuals with low L2 proficiency show intact L1 reading skills but struggle with word recall (tip-of-the-tongue states).
• This suggests a potential underlying issue in phonological code retrieval affecting L2 learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if phonological word form retrieval weaknesses, observed in L1 naming, also impact L2 naming abilities.
• To test the hypothesis that naming difficulties are shared across languages in L2 learners.
• To compare the performance of low-proficiency L2 learners with high-proficiency learners and individuals with dyslexia.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the tip-of-the-tongue experimental paradigm.
• Assessed L2 learners (low-proficiency n=15, high-proficiency n=23) and individuals with dyslexia (n=16).
• Measured frequency of tip-of-the-tongue states, word mispronunciation, and benefit from phonological cuing.

Main Results:

• Low-proficiency L2 learners reported more tip-of-the-tongue states than high-proficiency learners.
• Low-proficiency L2 learners mispronounced retrieved words more often and benefited less from phonological cues.
• Some low-proficiency L2 learners performed worse than individuals with dyslexia on specific naming tasks.

Conclusions:

• L2 naming difficulties in low-proficiency learners are linked to a general weakness in phonological word form retrieval, not solely low L2 proficiency.
• This phonological retrieval weakness appears to be shared across both L1 and L2.
• Findings support a distinct cognitive profile for low-proficiency L2 learners, characterized by shared cross-linguistic retrieval deficits.