Within- and between-language competition in adult second language learners: implications for language proficiency

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Second Language Acquisition
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Efficient spoken word recognition in monolinguals relies on lexical competition, where multiple word candidates are activated.
• Understanding how second language (L2) learners access their acquired knowledge is crucial for effective pedagogy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate lexical competition in adult L2 learners.
• To examine competition within the L2 lexicon and between L2 and native language (L1) words.
• To explore the relationship between L2 proficiency and lexical processing dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Adult L2 learners (N=33) participated in a cross-linguistic Visual World Paradigm task.
• Lexical activation patterns were assessed during spoken word recognition.
• Learner proficiency was measured using the LexTALE-Esp assessment.

Main Results:

• L2 learners demonstrated incremental processing, activating both within-L2 and cross-linguistic competitors.
• This pattern of activation was comparable to that observed in fluent bilinguals.
• L2 proficiency positively correlated with the speed of target word activation and the degree of competition resolution.

Conclusions:

• Adult L2 learners exhibit robust lexical competition mechanisms during spoken word recognition.
• Proficiency influences both the speed of accessing L2 words and the efficiency of resolving lexical ambiguity.
• Findings suggest that L2 lexical processing shares fundamental characteristics with L1 processing.