lecture recording on 11 March 2025 at 09.38.57 AM

Introduction

• The speaker is from Spain, addressing challenges due to English not being their first language.

• Emphasizes the importance of participation and clarity during the lecture.

Understanding Bilingualism

• Definition of bilingualism has evolved; initially, only those equally fluent in two languages were classified as bilinguals.

• Studies show that bilinguals can demonstrate strong accents or smaller grammatical proficiency, especially when learning a second language later in life.

Key Discussion Points

• Exploring cognitive processes involved in bilingualism beyond just language itself.

• The concept of language calculation: how knowledge from one language facilitates understanding in another language (e.g., English and French).

Eye Tracking in Language Studies

• Eye tracking experiments assess how bilinguals process text in different languages.

• Reading tasks involve paying attention to interest areas such as specific words or phrases.

Measures in Eye Tracking

• The initial stage of word activation is recorded at the first fixation (e.g., how quickly a participant recognizes a word).

• Comparison between native English speakers learning Spanish in lexical addition tasks.

• Monolingual participants do not exhibit the same language transfer interference effects, which leads to no observable M400 event in their eye tracking.

Language Activation and Inhibition

• Theoretical framework discussing how language interference activates inhibitory systems when processing words from multiple languages.

• When learning a new word or language, inhibition can slow down reactivation of that information in future trials.

• Stronger activation of one language typically inhibits access to the other language.

Cognitive Control

• Bilinguals may possess enhanced cognitive control due to the need to manage overlapping language activation.

• This enhancement is reflected in a broader domain of cognitive control, allowing bilinguals to excel compared to monolinguals.

Switching Tasks

• Participants named pictures in English or French based on color cues, demonstrating the effects of language switching on response times.

• Switching from one language to another (e.g., French to English) requires more time due to prior activation inhibition.

Conclusion

• Emphasizes the overarching cognitive advantages that bilinguals may develop over their lifetime through constant management of language activation and interference.