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Language proficiency modulates L2 orthographic learning mechanism: Evidence from event-related brain potentials in overt naming

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2023

Yang Fu Open the ORCID record for Yang Fu [Opens in a new window] ,
Beatriz Bermúdez-Margaretto ,
David Beltrán Open the ORCID record for David Beltrán [Opens in a new window] ,
Wang Huili Open the ORCID record for Wang Huili [Opens in a new window]  and
Alberto Dominguez
Yang Fu
Affiliation:
School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou City University, China Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, Spain
Beatriz Bermúdez-Margaretto
Affiliation:
Departamento de Psicología Básica, Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain Instituto de Integración en la Comunidad - INICO, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
David Beltrán
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain
Wang Huili*
Affiliation:
School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou City University, China
Alberto Dominguez
Affiliation:
Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, Spain
*
Corresponding author: Wang Huili; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The present study investigates bilinguals’ capacity to rapidly establish memory traces for novel word forms in a second language (L2), as a function of L2 linguistic proficiency. A group of Chinese-English bilinguals with various English proficiency levels were presented with a reading-aloud task, consisting of 16 pseudowords and 16 English words repeatedly presented across six training exposures. Behavioral and neurophysiological data were collected, and modulations in the word-length effect across repetitions were measured as an index of transition from sublexical to lexical involvement. Results revealed that higher L2 proficiency was associated with decreased word-length effect on novel words, reflected in both naming latencies and early N1 and P200 brain responses. In contrast, lower proficiency learners appeared to engage in effortful letter-to-sound decoding processes, with higher attentional allocation to the letter sequence and greater use of sublexical processing across exposures. Our findings highlight the need to tackle specific grapheme-to-phoneme skills for efficient learning of L2, particularly in populations where the L1 is nonalphabetic.

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Research Article
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Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , March 2024 , pp. 119 - 140
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© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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