Role of language control during interbrain phase synchronization of cross-language communication

The inhibitory control (IC) model proposes that language control plays an important role in suppressing cross-language interference within a bilingual individual's cross-language output. However, it may also play a role in dynamic interactive communication. Accordingly, the current study used the electroencephalogram (EEG) to simultaneously record neural oscillations from 13 paired unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals during cooperative picture-naming in either first language (L1) or second language (L2) according to cues. We found that the speaker and listener achieved synchronization by inhibiting interference from the nontarget language (cross-language interference) and partner (interpersonal interference) through language control. Furthermore, the more the language control resources were used, the higher the level of neural synchronization. These findings indicate that language control is associated with neural synchronization of cross-language communication. Altogether, the IC model should highlight the role of language control in inhibiting not only cross-language interference but also interpersonal interference during dynamic cross-language communication.