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Multiple Translations in Bilingual Memory: Processing Differences Across Concrete, Abstract, and Emotion Words
Dana M Basnight-Brown1,2, Jeanette Altarriba3
1University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA. dana.basnightbrown@gmail.com.
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research
|November 1, 2015
Summary
The number of translations for a word impacts bilingual memory. Multiple translations are key for processing concrete, abstract, and emotional words, influencing translation speed and lexical organization in bilinguals.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Psychology
- Bilingualism Research
Background:
- Bilingual memory models often overlook translation ambiguity and emotional content.
- Previous research indicates word translation frequency affects bilinguals' translation speed for concrete and abstract words.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the number of translations influences bilingual lexical organization.
- To examine the processing of concrete, abstract, and emotional stimuli based on translation frequency.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Spanish-English bilinguals translated concrete and abstract words with single or multiple translations.
- Experiment 2: Bilinguals translated emotion words with single or multiple translations.
Main Results:
- Concreteness effects appeared only for words with multiple translations (Experiment 1).
- Concreteness effects were observed for emotion words with multiple translations in both directions, and single translations in L1-L2 direction (Experiment 2).
Conclusions:
- Multiple translations play a significant role in bilingual lexical organization and processing, particularly for emotional stimuli.
- Findings suggest incorporating multiple translations, especially for emotion words, into current bilingual memory models.
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