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Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
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Bilingual language processing relies on shared semantic representations that are modulated by each language.

Catherine Chen1, Xue L Gong2, Christine Tseng2

  • 1Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 24, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bilingual brains largely share semantic processing systems between native and non-native languages. However, subtle differences exist for specific semantic categories, reconciling competing theories on bilingual language representation.

Keywords:
bilingualismencodingfMRIlanguagesemantic

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psycholinguistics

Background:

  • Bilingualism is common globally, with ongoing debate about semantic processing in the brain.
  • Evidence is divided on whether semantic information is processed in a shared or language-specific neural system.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how semantic information from native and non-native languages is neurally represented in bilingual individuals.
  • To compare brain activity patterns during semantic processing across languages.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to capture brain responses.
  • Analyzed brain activity while participants read natural narratives in both their native (Chinese) and non-native (English) languages.
  • Compared semantic representations derived from fMRI data between the two languages.

Main Results:

  • Found largely shared semantic representations across native and non-native languages in the bilingual brain.
  • Identified fine-grained differences in the neural representation of specific semantic categories between languages.
  • Demonstrated significant overlap in semantic processing, with nuanced variations.

Conclusions:

  • Bilingual semantic processing relies on predominantly shared neural systems.
  • Reconciles conflicting theories by showing both shared and distinct neural representations for semantic information.
  • Suggests a flexible semantic system in the bilingual brain that accommodates multiple languages.