lecture recording on 18 February 2025 at 15.52.27 PM

Introduction to Bilingual Research

• Learning languages can have positive effects, making the researcher personally interested in the topic.

• Previous lectures discussed speech perception and categorization.

Continuum of Speech Processing

• Speech sounds can be placed on a seven-step continuum where participants may shift their categorization (step 3 to 4).

• The categorization curve resembles an S-curve and can be influenced by various factors such as visual cues.

• The perceptual categorization is not a direct reflection of acoustic reality; it integrates environmental details.

Current Research in Bilingualism

• Recent bilingual studies are happening in Montreal, exploring various sociolinguistic contexts.

• Use of EEG and fMRI to study language processing in bilingual individuals.

Study: Infants and Minimal Pairs

• Researchers trained English and French bilingual infants to recognize minimal pairs spoken by monolingual and bilingual adults.

• Results indicate:

  • Monolingual infants are sensitive to sounds from monolingual speakers.

  • Bilingual infants respond better to bilingual speakers.

• This shows early adaptation of infants to their linguistic environments.

Vocabulary Development in Bilingual Children

• A 2011 study analyzed the vocabulary of five-year-old children with varying language exposure (French and English).

• Vocabulary types defined as:

  • Receptive Vocabulary: Understanding—recognizing objects.

  • Expressive Vocabulary: Producing—naming the objects.

• Findings:

  • Receptive vocab comparisons show similar results between bilingual and monolingual children.

  • Expressive vocab shows bilinguals initially lagging but then catching up rapidly as they grow.

fMRI Studies in Bilingualism

• fMRI tracks oxygen levels in the brain, highlighting areas active during language tasks.

• Example: Mandarin vs. French bilinguals.

  • Lexical Tone in Mandarin contrasted with no tone function in French.

  • Study identified three populations:

    1. Fluent Chinese-French bilinguals.

    2. French monolinguals raised in Mandarin environments.

    3. French non-bilinguals.

• Results showed the influence of early exposure on language processing areas, even in adults who had no active use of Mandarin.

Eye-Tracking Studies in Emotional Language Processing

• Eye-tracking technology records eye movement and reading patterns, particularly focused on emotional words.

• Findings reveal:

  • Bilinguals process emotional words slower compared to monolinguals, particularly negative words, although performance on positive emotional words is comparable.

• Eye-tracking can also be used to study syntax processing by looking at how individuals react to sentences with grammatical errors.

Defining Bilingualism

• Bilingualism lacks a universal definition; it can include various competencies such as reading, writing, speaking, and understanding.

• Importance of distinguishing between dominant and native languages.

• Research considers age of acquisition and frequency of language use in defining bilinguals.

Measuring Bilingual Proficiency

• Common methods include self-rated assessments and structured tasks.

• Self-rating may present biases due to humility or misjudgment of language ability.

• Task-based measures could include:

  • Lexical Decision Tasks: Participants identify real vs. fake words to assess vocabulary size.

  • Natural Speech Samples: Native speakers rate the fluency and skill of a second language speaker.

Bilinguals' Cognitive Abilities

• Studies indicate bilingualism correlates with delayed onset of dementia.

• Despite similar brain deterioration, bilinguals demonstrate better cognitive functioning and task performance compared to monolinguals with the same level of decline.

Conclusion: Understanding Bilingualism in Research

• Need to identify methods that effectively categorize bilingualism and consider individual differences in language acquisition and use.

• Advanced statistical models may offer better clarity in research studies.

• The continuous spectrum approach enables more nuanced understanding of bilingual abilities.