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The neural correlates of semantic and phonological transfer effects: language distance matters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2016

LADAN GHAZI-SAIDI Open the ORCID record for LADAN GHAZI-SAIDI [Opens in a new window]  and
ANA INÉS ANSALDO
LADAN GHAZI-SAIDI*
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal
ANA INÉS ANSALDO
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology School, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal
*
Address for correspondence: Ladan Ghazi-Saidi, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montreal, Quebec, H3W 1W5, Canadaladan.ghazi.saidi@umontreal.ca
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Abstract

Behavioral and neural correlates of cross-linguistic transfer (CLT) effects were studied at the word level, in a pair of linguistically distant languages. Twelve adult Persian speakers were tested on an overt picture-naming task in L2, during event-related fMRI scanning after an intensive computerized French lexical-learning program including cognates, clangs and non-cognate-non-clangs.

In distant language pairs, naming in L2 is effortful and demanding. Thus, it is less automatic, and must recruit more neural resources for lexical retrieval, and articulatory processing; it also requires more attention and cognitive control, even in cases where there is phonological overlap. Activation observed with different word types reflects the interaction of language and other cognitive systems including executive control and working memory circuits, even with phonologically similar and highly consolidated words. Moreover, phonologically similar words (cognates and clangs) seem to involve the implicit memory processing, whereas phonologically distant words (non-cognate-non-clangs) seem to require explicit memory.

Keywords

L2 learningneural basisphonological and semantic similaritieslinguistic distancefMRI

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , November 2017 , pp. 1080 - 1094
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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