scholarly journals On the flexibility of bilingual language control: The effect of language context

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
KALINKA TIMMER ◽  
INGRID K. CHRISTOFFELS ◽  
ALBERT COSTA
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Linguistic Context ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Switching Patterns ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Language Context ◽  
Naming Latencies ◽  
The Way

How flexible is bilingual language control and how does it adapt to the linguistic context of a conversation? We address this by looking at the pattern of switch costs in contexts involving mostly the use of a dominant or non-dominant language. This linguistic context affected switching patterns: switching was equally costly for both languages in a dominant (L1) context, while switching was harder for the weaker language in the non-dominant (L2) context. Also, naming latencies for each language were affected by the linguistic contexts: only the dominant L1 context led to slower latencies for the dominant language. This latter finding was also present when looking at the LPC component, which may reveal differences in the way inhibitory control is applied depending on the linguistic context. These results reveal that the bilingual language control system is flexible and that it adapts to the linguistic context in which the speaker is placed.

scholarly journals Inhibitory control training reveals a common neurofunctional basis for generic executive functions and language switching in bilinguals

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Jing Wu ◽  
Mo Chen ◽  
Guillaume Thierry ◽  
Yongben Fu ◽  
Junjie Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Transfer Effect ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Left Caudate ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Switching Task

Abstract Background The neural networks underpinning language control and domain-general executive functions overlap in bilinguals, but existing evidence is mainly correlative. Here, we present the first neurofunctional evidence for a transfer effect between (domain-general) inhibitory control and language control through training. We trained Chinese–English bilinguals for 8 days using a Simon task taxing the inhibitory control system, whilst an active control group was trained with a color judgment task that does not tax the inhibitory control system. All participants performed a language-switching task before and after training. It has been suggested that the activity of the left DLPFC was associated with domain-general top-down cognitive control (Macdonald et al. Science 288: 1835–1838, 2000) and bilingual language control (Wang et al. Neuroimage 35: 862–870, 2007). In addition, the dACC was closely related to the conflict detection (Abutalebi et al. Cereb Cortex 18:1496–1505, 2008). Last, the activity of the left caudate has been linked with lexical selection (Abutalebi et al. Cereb Cortex 18:1496–1505, 2008), especially the selection of the weak language (Abutalebi et al. Cortex 49: 905–911, 2013). Therefore, we focused on these three regions of interest (ROIs) where neural changes associated with transfer were expected to occur. Results The results showed a negative correlation between changes in activation levels in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and changes in the switch cost magnitude in the language-switching task in the training group but not in the control group, suggesting that the DLPFC plays a critical role in the transfer effect from domain-general executive functions to language control. However, there was no measurable effect in the anterior cingulate cortex or left caudate nucleus, suggesting that the inhibitory control training increased the neural efficiency for language production in bilinguals in terms of attention shifting and conflict resolution, but the training did not affect conflict detection and lexical selection. Conclusion These findings showed how cognitive training evidence can help establish a causational link between the neural basis of domain-general executive functions and language control in bilinguals.

scholarly journals The Differential Role of Executive Functions in the Cognitive Control of Language Switching

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Jared A. Linck ◽  
John W. Schwieter ◽  
Gretchen Sunderman
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Global And Local

Studies of bilingual speech production suggest that different executive functions (EFs) contribute to the cognitive control of language production. However, no study has simultaneously examined the relationship between different EFs and language control during online speech production. The current study examined individual differences in three EFs (working memory updating, inhibitory control, and task-set switching) and their relationship with performance in a trilingual language-switching task for a group of forty-seven native English (L1) speakers learning French (L2) and Spanish (L3). Analyses indicate complex interactions between EFs and language switching: better inhibitory control was related to smaller L1 switch costs, whereas better working memory was related to larger L1 switch costs. Working memory was also related to larger L2 switch costs, but only when switching from L1. These results support theories of cognitive control that implicate both global and local control mechanisms, and suggest unique contributions of each EF to both global and local cognitive control during language switching. Finally, we discuss the implications for theories of multilingual language control.

scholarly journals The gradient effect of context on language switching and lexical access in bilingual production

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 725-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL J. OLSON
Keyword(s):  
Switching Costs ◽  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Language Dominance ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽  
Language Selection ◽  
Language Context

ABSTRACTPrevious research on bilingual language switching costs has demonstrated asymmetrical switch costs, driven primarily by language dominance, such that switches into a more dominant language incur significantly greater reaction time delays than switches into a less dominant language. While such studies have generally relied on a fixed ratio of switch to nonswitch tokens, it is clear that bilinguals operate not in a fixed ratio, but along a naturally occurring bilingual continuum of modes or contexts. Bridging the concepts of language switching and language context, the current study examines language switching costs through a cued picture-naming study with variable contexts or modes. The results demonstrate that switch costs are dependent upon both language dominance and language context, with asymmetrical costs found in more monolingual modes and symmetrical costs found in bilingual modes. Implications are discussed with respect to language mode and gradient inhibitory mechanisms of language selection.

scholarly journals Symmetries of bilingual language switch costs in conflicting versus non-conflicting contexts

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 624-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
CONG LIU ◽  
LU JIAO ◽  
ZIYI WANG ◽  
MENGXING WANG ◽  
RUIMING WANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Control Model ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Stroop Paradigm ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Switching Task ◽  
The Impact

Previous studies have demonstrated that language switching in bilinguals can be affected by a number of variables, including the processing context. Here, we used a modified language-switching task combined with a Stroop paradigm, which manipulated the context of the task, to examine the impact of processing context on switch costs. The results of both Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 showed that the switch costs and the level of asymmetry in the switch costs are larger in the conflicting context than in the non-conflicting context, suggesting that the processing context affects the switch costs. In addition, the results of Experiment 2 revealed that individual variances in cognitive control capacity also play a role in the overall magnitude of the switch costs. Critically, processing context effects can be modulated by individual variance in cognitive control capacities. The results of this study are discussed within the framework of classic models of bilingual language control (e.g., the inhibitory control model).

scholarly journals Inhibitory Control Training Reveals a Common Neurofunctional Basis for Generic Executive Functions and Language Switching in Bilinguals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Jing Wu ◽  
Mo Chen ◽  
Guillaume Thierry ◽  
Yongben Fu ◽  
Junjie Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Transfer Effect ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Switching Task

Abstract Background: The neural networks underpinning language control and domain-general executive functions overlap in bilinguals, but existing evidence is mainly correlative. Here, we present the first neurofunctional evidence for a transfer effect between (domain-general) inhibitory control and language control through training. We trained Chinese-English bilinguals for 8 days using a Simon task taxing the inhibitory control system, whilst an active control group was trained with a color judgment task that does not tax the inhibitory control system. All participants performed a language-switching task before and after training.Results: The results showed a negative correlation between changes in activation levels in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and changes in the switch cost magnitude in the language-switching task in the training group but not in the control group, suggesting that the DLPFC plays a critical role in the transfer effect from domain-general executive functions to language control. However, there was no measurable effect in the anterior cingulate cortex or left caudate nucleus, suggesting that the inhibitory control training increased the neural efficiency for language production in bilinguals in terms of attention shifting and conflict resolution, but the training did not affect conflict detection and lexical selection.Conclusion: These findings showed how cognitive training evidence can help establish a causational link between the neural basis of domain-general executive functions and language control in bilinguals.

scholarly journals Assessing the evidence for asymmetrical language switch costs and reversed language dominance effects - a meta analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Gade
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Dominance Effect ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Language Dominance ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Language Control

Two seemingly counterintuitive phenomena – asymmetrical language switch costs and the reversed language dominance effect – prove to be particularly controversial in the literature on language control. Asymmetrical language switch costs refer to the larger costs for switching into the dominant language compared to switching into the less dominant language, both relative to staying in either one language. The reversed language dominance effect refers to longer reaction times when in the more dominant of the two languages in situations that require frequent language switching (i.e., mixed-language blocks). The asymmetrical language switch costs are commonly taken as an index for processes of transient, reactive inhibitory language control, whereas the reversed language dominance effect is taken as an index for sustained, proactive inhibitory language control. In the present meta-analysis, we set out to establish the empirical evidence for these two phenomena using a Bayesian linear mixed effects modelling approach. Despite the observation of both phenomena in some studies, our results suggest that overall, there is little evidence for the generality and robustness of these two effects, and this holds true even when conditions – such as language proficiency and preparation time manipulations – were included as moderators of these phenomena. We conclude that asymmetrical switch costs and the reversed language dominance effect are important for theory development, but their utility for theory testing is limited due to their lack of robustness and the absence of confirmed moderatory variables.

scholarly journals Are there cognitive benefits of code-switching in bilingual children? A longitudinal study

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 542-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Kuzyk ◽  
Margaret Friend ◽  
Vivianne Severdija ◽  
Pascal Zesiger ◽  
Diane Poulin-Dubois
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Switching Frequency ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Preschool Period ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Switching Patterns ◽  
Cognitive Benefits ◽  
Language Context

AbstractThe current study explored bilingual parent and child code-switching patterns over time. Concurrent and predictive models of code-switching behaviour on executive function outcomes were also examined in a sample of 29 French–English bilinguals at 36 (Wave 1) and 61 (Wave 2) months of age. We investigated whether code-switching typology in a single-language context predicted executive function performance at each wave independently, and whether growth in code-switching frequency across waves predicted executive function performance at Wave 2. At both waves, parents and children participated in two free play sessions (in English and French), followed by a battery of executive function tasks administered in the dominant language. Results indicate more frequent code-switching from the non-dominant to the dominant language in children, and that children code-switch to fill lexical gaps. Results also suggest that less frequent code-switching in a single-language context is associated with better inhibitory control skills during the preschool period.

scholarly journals Two different faces of Cavafy in English: A corpus-assisted approach to translational stylistics

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Iraklis Pantopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Crossing Over ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Stylistic Feature ◽  
Major Language ◽  
Literary Market ◽  
Word Frequencies ◽  
The Way

<p>A translator is seen to leave a personal mark on the text through their stylistic choices and the patterns formed by these choices. This article comprises a case study that uses a specialized comparative corpus containing translations of C.P. Cavafy's canon in order to explore the distinctive stylistic features of Rae Dalven and of Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard (working in collaboration), in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Exploring the different approaches to Cavafy's poetry on the stylistic level reveals the stylistic fragmentation of the poet after crossing over into a dominant language and literary market.</p><p>Overall word frequencies for each translation are examined, the stylistic features that are prominent in each case are identified, and their significance is considered. Special attention is also paid to the way a stylistic feature belonging to the ‘universal aspects of literature’ is treated by each translator. By foregrounding the translators and their distinct choices, the “homogenization” effects that often characterize translation into a major language are arrested. Instead, the focus falls on the factors that shape each translator's use of language and their impact.</p>

Machines Paying Attention

2011 ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
John G. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Complex Networks ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Brain Science ◽  
Engineering Control ◽  
Control Framework ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Way

Attention is analyzed as the superior control system in the brain from an engineering point of view, with support for this from the way attention is presently being understood by brain science. Such an engineering- control framework allows an understanding of how the complex networks observed in the brain during various cognitive tasks can begin to be functionally decomposed. A machine version of such an attention control system is then discussed and extended to allow for goals and their reward values also to be encoded in the attention machine. The manner in which emotion may then begin to be imbued in the machine is briefly discussed and how even some glimpse of consciousness may then arise.

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