Phonological Representations in First and Second Language English Reading and Speech Perception

Collaborators

University of Agder
Maud Pelissier (Lead), Allison wetterlin, Linda Wheeldon

University of Oxford
Aditi Lahiri

University of Birmingham
Steven Frisson

Summary

There is now overwhelming evidence that when a bilingual processes one of their languages, the other language is active to a greater or lesser extent. Our interest is in how first and second language phonological representations influence speed and accuracy of lexical access. Bilinguals show a great deal of variation in the extent to which they acquire a second language phonology that differs from that of their native language. We do not yet understand how the degree of differentiation in an individual relates to their ability to manage the activation and control of their language use. The project will use eye-tracking to examine phonological processes during first and second language English reading and EEG methodologies will be used to examine the same issues in the auditory comprehension of second language English