scholarly journals Grammatical gender in translation

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denisa Bordag ◽  
Thomas Pechmann
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Interference Effect ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Production Models ◽  
Bare Nouns ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Naming Latencies

In three experiments native speakers of Czech translated bare nouns and gender-marked adjective + noun phrases into German, their second language (L2). In Experiments 1-3 we explored the so-called gender interference effect from first language (L1) as observed in previous picture naming studies (naming latencies were longer when the L1 noun and its L2 translation had different genders than when their genders were congruent). In Experiments 2 and 3 we investigated the influence of gender transparency in L2 (longer latencies when an L2 noun has a gender-atypical or gender-ambiguous termination than when its termination is gender-typical). Although both effects were observed in L2 picture naming, only the gender transparency effect could be demonstrated in L1 to L2 translation tasks. The resulting constraints on L2 gender processing during translation are discussed in the framework of bilingual speech production models.

Is lexical selection in bilingual speech production language-specific? Further evidence from Spanish–English and English–Spanish bilinguals

1999 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Costa ◽  
Alfonso Caramazza
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Lexical Access ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Facilitatory Effect ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
L2 Spanish ◽  
Naming Latencies ◽  
Spanish Bilinguals

In this study we address the question of how lexical selection is achieved by bilingual speakers during speech production. Specifically, we test whether there is competition between the two lexicons of a bilingual during lexical access. In two picture–word interference experiments we explore the performance of two groups of bilinguals, English–Spanish and Spanish–English proficient bilinguals while naming pictures either in their L1 (Spanish) or in their L2 (Spanish). Picture naming was facilitated when the name of the picture and the distracter word were the “same”, regardless of the language in which the distracter was printed: same-language (e.g., mesa–mesa [table in Spanish]) or different-language pairs (e.g., mesa–table). The magnitude of this facilitatory effect was similar when naming in L1 (Experiment 1) and in L2 (Experiment 2). We also found that naming latencies were slower when the distracter word was semantically related to the picture's name (e.g., mesa–chair), regardless of the language in which the distracter was printed. The results suggest that there is no competition between the two lexicons of a bilingual during lexical access for production. This interpretation favors a model of lexical access in which lexical selection is language-specific both when speaking in L1 and in L2.

No lexical competition without priming: Evidence from the picture–word interference paradigm

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 2562-2570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna S Gauvin ◽  
Magdalena K Jonen ◽  
Jessica Choi ◽  
Katie McMahon ◽  
Greig I de Zubicaray
Keyword(s):  
Interference Effect ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Lexical Competition ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
The Past ◽  
Task Parameters ◽  
Naming Latencies ◽  
And Task

Over the past 40 years, researchers have assumed that semantic interference effects in picture naming reflect competition among lexical candidates during retrieval. In this study, we examined the role of the familiarisation phase in which participants are shown the target pictures and required to rehearse the appropriate names before the picture–word interference (PWI) paradigm is performed. A previous study reported that omitting the familiarisation phase reversed the polarity of the semantic effect to facilitation. In two experiments using between- and within-participants design, respectively, we compared PWI performance with and without familiarisation while using matched stimuli and task parameters. Overall, the results showed the typical semantic interference effect following familiarisation. However, in both experiments, naming latencies did not differ significantly between related and unrelated distractors when familiarisation was omitted. The current findings suggest that familiarisation plays an important role in determining semantic interference in PWI, most likely via raising lexical competitor activation by priming links between targets and related concepts. We also discuss broader implications of our findings with respect to the replicability of reported semantic facilitation effects in PWI.

When alphabets collide: Alphabetic first-language speakers’ approach to speech production in an alphabetic second language

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Vokic
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Visual Code ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Distributional Properties ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
L2 Speech Production

This study analysed the extent to which literate native speakers of a language with a phonemic alphabetic orthography rely on their first language (L1) orthography during second language (L2) speech production of a language that has a morphophonemic alphabetic orthography. The production of the English flapping rule by 15 adult native speakers of Spanish (NSS) was analysed. Flap production should not be problematic for NSS learning English as L2, since the flap [ ] exists in the Spanish phonemic inventory and it has similar acoustic, articluatory, and distributional properties in English and Spanish. However, this study hypothesizes that access to the flap is blocked by NSS participants’ lack of phonological awareness in English, which is brought about by the participants’ reliance on the Spanish orthographic system, since the graphs used to represent the English flap intervocalically have either different surface realizations in Spanish (such as <t> and <d>) or have no equivalents in the Spanish orthographic system (such as <tt> and <dd>). It was found that NSS relied on the Spanish orthographic system at a statistically significant level, despite both languages having alphabetic orthographies and sharing the same visual code. Less reliance on L1 orthography was observed in frequent L2 lexical items, demonstrating that negative effects of L1 orthography are inversely correlated to familiarity with L2 lexical items and that frequent lexical items promote L2 phonological awareness.

scholarly journals Can we use the internet to study speech production? Yes we can! Evidence contrasting online versus laboratory naming latencies and errors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amie Fairs ◽  
Kristof Strijkers
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Production Data ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Word Frequency Effect ◽  
The World ◽  
Overt Speech ◽  
Naming Latencies

The closure of cognitive psychology labs around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented in-person testing. This has caused a particular challenge for speech production researchers, as before the pandemic there were no studies demonstrating that reliable overt speech production data could be collected via the internet. Here, we present evidence that both accurate and reliable overt articulation data can be collected from internet-based speech production experiments. We tested 100 participants in a picture naming paradigm, where we manipulated the word and phonotactic frequency of the picture names. We compared our results to a lab-based study which used the same materials and design. We found a significant word frequency effect but no phonotactic frequency effect, fully replicating the lab-based results. Effect sizes were similar between experiments, but with significantly longer latencies in the internet-collected data. We found no evidence that internet upload or download speed affected either naming latencies or errors. In addition, we carried out a permutation-style analysis which recommends a minimum sample size of 40 participants for online production paradigms. In sum, our study demonstrates that internet-based testing of speech production is a feasible and promising endeavour, with less challenges than many researchers (anecdotally) assumed.

Producing words in a foreign language: Can speakers prevent interference from their first language?

1998 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAAN HERMANS ◽  
THEO BONGAERTS ◽  
KEES DE BOT ◽  
ROBERT SCHREUDER
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Lexical Access ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Bilingual Speakers

Two picture-word interference experiments were conducted to investigate whether or not words from a first and more dominant language are activated during lexical access in a foreign and less dominant language. Native speakers of Dutch were instructed to name pictures in their foreign language English. Our experiments show that the Dutch name of a picture is activated during initial stages of the process of lexical in English as a foreign language. We conclude that bilingual speakers cannot suppress activation from their first language while naming pictures in a foreign language. The implications for bilingual speech production theories are discussed.

Gender assignment strategies used by L1 and L2 speakers of Spanish

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa Martoccio
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Native Spanish Speakers ◽  
Gender Assignment ◽  
Bare Nouns ◽  
And Gender ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
L1 English

Abstract This article compares gender assignment on known nouns by intermediate (n=15) and advanced (n=15) second language (L2) learners of Spanish (L1 English) and native Spanish speakers (n=15). Participants completed a written vocabulary task, which asked the meaning and gender of 63 nouns. Gender assignment scores revealed that only intermediate and native speaker groups scored significantly differently on known nouns, as shown by the vocabulary task. Results indicated that intermediate learners assigned the incorrect gender to known nouns significantly more than native speakers. Both L2 learner groups made errors on high frequency known nouns, whereas the few native speaker errors were on low frequency known nouns. Along with think-aloud data which showed the effectiveness of strategies that directly link the noun with its article, these results indicate that nouns need to be taught as units rather than bare nouns, using distributional co-occurrence relations.

Exploring the time course of semantic interference and associative priming in the picture–word interference task

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 789-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Sailor ◽  
Patricia J. Brooks ◽  
Paul R. Bruening ◽  
Liat Seiger-Gardner ◽  
Mark Guterman
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Access ◽  
Interference Effect ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Semantic Context ◽  
Associative Priming ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Interference Task ◽  
Naming Latencies

The picture–word interference (PWI) task is a widely used technique for exploring effects of semantic context on lexical access. In this task, printed words are superimposed over pictures to be named, with the timing of the interfering word relative to the picture systematically manipulated. Two experiments ( N = 24 adults in each) explored the time course of effects of associates (e.g., CARROT superimposed on a picture of a rabbit) versus coordinates (e.g., CHIPMUNK superimposed on a picture of a rabbit) on naming latencies. Associates led to faster picture naming than did unrelated words, with facilitative effects occurring at stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs, in ms) ranging from –450 to 0. Coordinates led to slower naming latencies, with the interference effect restricted to SOAs of –150 and 0. The overlapping time course of associative priming and coordinate interference provides important constraints on models of lexical access in speech production.

scholarly journals The Use of English Articles in Adjective-modified Contexts

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman Alzamil
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Arabic Speakers ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
Saudi Arabic ◽  
English Articles

English articles are thought to be complex, ambiguous and not salient in spoken language, which is why second language (L2) learners of English exhibit usage variability. Much of the L2 acquisition literature seems to agree that L2 learners are affected, one way or another, by their first language (L1). However, the debatable and controversial issue is whether there are other factors that affect article use, independent of potential L1 effects. The present study examines whether the presence or absence of adjectives in noun phrases influences article choice among Saudi Arabic learners of English. Both Arabic and English have articles, but Arabic adjectives are different from English adjectives to the extent that they agree with nouns in definiteness, case and gender. The study was conducted with 24 L1 Saudi Arabic speakers and 6 native English speakers. A 42-item fill-in-the-blanks task was administered. The results showed that a) native speakers of English outperformed L2 Arabic speakers in all contexts except indefinite plural contexts not modified by adjectives; and b) L2 Arabic speakers were more accurate in indefinite contexts that were not modified by adjectives than those that were. These findings show that L1 Arabic speakers are sensitive to the presence or absence of adjectives in noun phrases.

Plural-marking in L2 Korean: A feature-based approach

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Hee Hwang ◽  
Donna Lardiere
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Feature Based ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Plural Marking

This study examined the second language (L2) acquisition of the Korean plural marker -tul by native speakers of English. Seventy-seven learners at four Korean proficiency levels along with 31 native Korean-speaking controls completed five tasks designed to probe for knowledge of particular features and restrictions associated with so-called intrinsic and extrinsic plural-marking in Korean. The results suggest that knowledge of both types of plural developed with increasing proficiency. However, the features associated with the intrinsic plural, which is more similar to the English plural in terms of grammatical function, were more easily acquired than those of the extrinsic (distributive) plural, which requires recruiting the features of a completely distinct morpholexical item from the first language (L1). We also found some developmental evidence for a feature hierarchy in quantified Korean noun phrases, in which the most deeply-embedded featural co-occurrence restriction on intrinsic plural-marking was the latest acquired.

scholarly journals The Second Language Interferes with Picture Naming in the First Language: Evidence for L2 Activation during L1 Production

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Klaus ◽  
Kristin Lemhöfer ◽  
Herbert Schriefers
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
First Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Interference Task ◽  
Unrelated Condition ◽  
Co Activation ◽  
Phonological Form ◽  
Naming Latencies

Previous research has shown that when speakers produce words in their second language (L2), they also activate the phonological form of the translation of the word in their first language (L1). Here we investigated whether this holds in the opposite direction, i.e., when participants speak in exclusively in their L1. In a picture-word interference task, speakers named pictures in their L1 Dutch (“mes” [knife]) while ignoring L2 English auditory distractors phonologically related to the English translation of the target (“knight”) or unrelated (“plane”). Naming latencies were longer in the related compared to the unrelated condition, suggesting that the L2 translations were activated up to the phonological level. However, this pattern was only obtained when speakers were addressed in the target language (Dutch) throughout the experiment. Moreover, the size of this effect did not depend on individual L2 proficiency. We conclude that co-activation of two languages is not restricted to the dominant language.

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