Specific Referential Contexts Shape Efficiency in Second Language Processing: Three Eye-Tracking Experiments With 6-...

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Second Language Acquisition

Background:

• Real-time language processing is more challenging for second language (L2) learners than first language (L1) learners.
• Mastering grammatical gender is difficult for L2 learners, who may not use gender cues like L1 speakers.
• It remains unclear if L2 learners' difficulties extend beyond grammatical gender to broader local word relation processing or if immersion environments improve learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether L2 learners' difficulties in processing grammatical gender reflect broader challenges with local word relations.
• To determine if immersive L2 environments offer advantages over traditional classrooms in learning word regularities.
• To examine how children utilize articles as cues for grammatical gender, biological gender, and number in a Spanish immersion setting.

Main Methods:

• Three eye-tracking experiments were conducted with 6- and 10-year-old children in Spanish immersion elementary schools.
• Participants listened to sentences containing articles that provided information on grammatical gender, biological gender, and number of referents.
• Eye movements were tracked to assess attention allocation based on article cues.

Main Results:

• First language (L1) children consistently used articles to guide their attention to target referents across all experiments.
• Second language (L2) children did not leverage articles for grammatical gender cues.
• L2 children successfully used articles as cues for biological gender and number.

Conclusions:

• L1 children demonstrate efficient use of articles for referential guidance, irrespective of grammatical, biological, or numerical information.
• L2 learners' processing efficiency varies depending on the type of information conveyed by articles, with grammatical gender posing a greater challenge.
• Learning experiences and the specific nature of referential contexts interact to shape language processing efficiency in L2 learners.