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How do German bilingual schoolchildren process German prepositions? - A study on language-motor interactions
Daniela Katharina Ahlberg1, Heike Bischoff2, Jessica Vanessa Strozyk3
1LEAD Graduate School, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.
Plos One
|March 15, 2018
Summary
Bilingual children process German prepositions similarly to monolinguals, showing embodied language processing regardless of their other language. This suggests L2 embodiment is robust in developing minds.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Embodied language processing is well-supported in first language (L1) but less understood in second language (L2).
- Previous research indicated L2 embodiment and L1 influence in adult learners.
- The current study investigates L2 embodiment in child bilinguals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare embodied processing of German prepositions in bilingual and monolingual schoolchildren.
- To determine if L1 influences L2 preposition processing in children.
- To investigate developmental differences in L2 embodiment.
Main Methods:
- A Stroop-like task was used with German prepositions (auf, über, unter).
- Participants responded based on font color (upward/downward), creating compatible and incompatible trials.
- Bilingual schoolchildren (German + another language) were compared to monolingual German schoolchildren.
Main Results:
- Compatibility effects were observed in all children, indicating embodied processing.
- No significant processing differences were found between bilingual and monolingual children.
- Unlike adult findings, L1 did not appear to influence L2 preposition processing in this child sample.
Conclusions:
- Embodied language processing of German prepositions is comparable in bilingual and monolingual children.
- Bilingual children demonstrate robust L2 embodiment similar to monolinguals.
- Developmental factors may lead to different L2 processing patterns compared to adults.
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