1 On-line methods in bilingual spoken language research

Processing Code-Switching in Algerian Bilinguals: Effects of Language Use and Semantic Expectancy

Using a cross-modal naming paradigm this study investigated the effect of sentence constraint and language use on the expectancy of a language switch during listening comprehension. Sixty-five Algerian bilinguals who habitually code-switch between Algerian Arabic and French (AA-FR) but not between Standard Arabic and French (SA-FR) listened to sentence fragments and named a visually presented French target NP out loud. Participants’ speech onset times were recorded. The sentence context was either highly semantically constraining toward the French NP or not. The language of the sentence context was either in Algerian Arabic or in Standard Arabic, but the target NP was always in French, thus creating two code-switching contexts: a typical and recurrent code-switching context (AA-FR) and a non-typical code-switching context (SA-FR). Results revealed a semantic constraint effect indicating that the French switches were easier to process in the high compared to the low-constraint context. In addition, the effect size of semantic constraint was significant in the more typical code-switching context (AA-FR) suggesting that language use influences the processing of switching between languages. The effect of semantic constraint was also modulated by code-switching habits and the proficiency of L2 French. Semantic constraint was reduced in bilinguals who frequently code-switch and in bilinguals with high proficiency in French. Results are discussed with regards to the bilingual interactive activation model (Dijkstra and Van Heuven, 2002) and the control process model of code-switching (Green and Wei, 2014).

The Influence of Language Exposure on Lexical and Syntactic Language Processing

Abstract. Previous literature has argued that proficient bilingual speakers often demonstrate monolingual-equivalent structural processing of language (e.g., the processing of structural ambiguities; Frenck-Mestre, 2002 ). In this paper, we explore this thesis further via on-line examination of the processing of syntactically complex structures with three populations: those who classify as monolingual native English speaker (MNES), those who classify as non-native English speakers (NNES), and those who classify as bilingual native English speakers (BNES). On-line measures of processing of object-relative constructions demonstrated that both NNES and BNES have different patterns of performance as compared to MNES. Further, NNES and BNES speakers perform differently from one another in such processing. The study also examines the activation of lexical information in biasing contexts, and suggests that different processes are at work in the different type of bilinguals examined here. The nature of these differences and the implications for developing sensitive models of on-line language comprehension are developed and discussed.

Comprehending spoken metaphoric reference: a real-time analysis

Speakers and writers often use metaphor to describe someone or something in a referential fashion (e.g., The creampuff didn't show up for the fight to refer to a cowardly boxer). Research has demonstrated that readers do not comprehend metaphoric reference as easily as they do literal reference (Gibbs, 1990; Onishi & Murphy, 1993). In two experiments, we used a naming version of the cross-modal lexical priming (CMLP) paradigm to monitor the time-course of comprehending spoken metaphoric reference. In Experiment 1, listeners responded to visual probe words of either a figurative or literal nature that were presented at offset or 1000 ms after a critical prime word. Significant facilitatory priming was observed at prime offset to probes consistent with the metaphorical interpretation of the figuratively referring description, yet no priming was found for either probe type at the downstream location. In Experiment 2, we partially replicated Experiment 1 results at prime offset and found no priming at a probe point placed 1000 ms upstream from prime onset. Taken together, the data from these two experiments indicate that listeners are able to comprehend metaphoric reference faster than literal reference. Moreover, the effect appears to be strongest at prime offset, suggesting that activation of the nonliteral interpretation is closely tied to the relationship between the figuratively referring description and the intended referent. Implications for theories of metaphor comprehension, as well as for research in spoken metaphor, are discussed.