Reading Text When Studying in a Second Language: An Eye-Tracking Study

We investigated how eye movements are influenced by different reading goals in participants' first (L1) and second language (L2). Participants read or studied the contents of texts while their eye movements were recorded. One group was asked to read L1 and L2 texts as they would read any expository text (informational reading). Another group was asked to study L1 and L2 texts for subsequent tests involving true/false questions (study condition). After reading, all participants, including those in the informational reading condition, completed the true/false tests without being able to further consult the texts, which allowed us to investigate the extent to which reading goal and text language affect recognition memory for texts. In general, more reading time was spent on studying than on informational reading, which also resulted in higher test scores in the study condition. The L2-processing cost was larger in the study condition than in the informational reading condition: Participants needed approximately 20% more time to study L2 texts. The results of various eye movement measures suggest that this is caused by slower word recognition processes and a smaller amount of information that can be processed simultaneously in L2. This was true not only for the first reading of the text but also for the rereadings in the study condition. Interestingly, the additional time for L2 studying seemed to compensate for the less efficient processing, as the recognition test scores were the same in L2 as in L1.

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Using Rational Cloze for Diagnostic Testing in L1 and L2 Reading

TESL Canada Journal ◽

10.18806/tesl.v2i1.449 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 53 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Margaret MacLean

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Reading Comprehension ◽

Test Scores ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Diagnostic Testing ◽

Second Language Reading ◽

L2 Reading ◽

Second Languages ◽

L1 And L2

Although both first and second language reading have been frequently explored, much of the research has tended to be product oriented and comparative in nature. That is, researchers have tended to focus on quantitative differences in reading comprehension test scores between groups of native and non-native speakers. Very few studies have examined how readers understand text in both their first and second languages. This paper presents results from a case study of a bilingual reader (French Ll/English L2) who read both easy and hard texts in her first and second language. Rational doze and introspection tasks were used to examine quantitative and qualitative differences in comprehension across languages. Results indicated that there were differences in the extent to which this reader successfully manipulated meaning especially at the whole text level. Implications of the rational doze procedure for diagnostic testing and teaching are discussed.

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What eye-tracking tells us about reading-only and reading-while-listening in a first and second language

Second language Research ◽

10.1177/0267658320921496 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 257-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kathy Conklin ◽

Sara Alotaibi ◽

Ana Pellicer-Sánchez ◽

Laura Vilkaitė-Lozdienė

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Language Learning ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

First Language ◽

Auditory Input ◽

Reading Patterns ◽

L1 And L2

Reading-while-listening has been shown to be advantageous in second language learning. However, research to date has not addressed how the addition of auditory input changes reading itself. Identifying how reading differs in reading-while-listening and reading-only might help explain the advantages associated with the former. The aim of the present study was to provide a detailed description of reading patterns with and without audio. To address this, we asked first language (L1) and second language (L2) speakers to read two passages (one in a reading-only mode and another in a reading-while-listening mode) while their eye movements were monitored. In reading-only, L2 readers had more and longer fixations (i.e. slower reading) than L1 readers. In reading-while-listening, eye-movement patterns were very similar in the L1 and L2. In general, neither group of participants fixated the word that they were hearing, although the L2 readers’ eye movements were more aligned to the auditory input. When reading and listening were not aligned, both groups’ eye movements generally preceded the audio. However, L2 readers had more cases where their fixations lagged behind the audio. We consider why reading slightly ahead of the audio could explain some of the benefits attributed to reading-while-listening contexts.

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Longitudinal Developments in Bilingual Second Language Acquisition and First Language Attrition of Speech: The Case of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Languages ◽

10.3390/languages6020061 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 61

Author(s):

Lisa Kornder ◽

Ineke Mennen

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Voice Onset Time ◽

First Language ◽

Onset Time ◽

Speech Development ◽

Dynamic Interactions ◽

First Language Attrition ◽

Second Formant ◽

L1 And L2

The purpose of this investigation was to trace first (L1) and second language (L2) segmental speech development in the Austrian German–English late bilingual Arnold Schwarzenegger over a period of 40 years, which makes it the first study to examine a bilingual’s speech development over several decades in both their languages. To this end, acoustic measurements of voice onset time (VOT) durations of word-initial plosives (Study 1) and formant frequencies of the first and second formant of Austrian German and English monophthongs (Study 2) were conducted using speech samples collected from broadcast interviews. The results of Study 1 showed a merging of Schwarzenegger’s German and English voiceless plosives in his late productions as manifested in a significant lengthening of VOT duration in his German plosives, and a shortening of VOT duration in his English plosives, closer to L1 production norms. Similar findings were evidenced in Study 2, revealing that some of Schwarzenegger’s L1 and L2 vowel categories had moved closer together in the course of L2 immersion. These findings suggest that both a bilingual’s first and second language accent is likely to develop and reorganize over time due to dynamic interactions between the first and second language system.

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SOURCES OF VARIATION IN SECOND AND NATIVE LANGUAGE SPEAKING PROFICIENCY AMONG COLLEGE-AGED SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Studies in Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1017/s0272263121000188 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-26

Author(s):

Mona Roxana Botezatu ◽

Taomei Guo ◽

Judith F. Kroll ◽

Sarah Peterson ◽

Dalia L. Garcia

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Second Language ◽

Cognitive Control ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Native Language ◽

L2 Proficiency ◽

Speaking Proficiency ◽

Sources Of Variation ◽

Internal Sources ◽

L1 And L2

Abstract We evaluated external and internal sources of variation in second language (L2) and native language (L1) proficiency among college students. One hundred and twelve native-English L2 learners completed measures of L1 and L2 speaking proficiency, working memory, and cognitive control and provided self-ratings of language exposure and use. When considering learner-external variation, we found that more frequent L2 exposure predicted higher L2 and L1 proficiency, while earlier L2 exposure predicted higher L2 proficiency, but poorer L1 maintenance. L1–L2 distance limited crosslinguistic transfer of print-to-sound mappings. When considering learner-internal variation, we found that L1 and L2 proficiency were highly correlated and that better working memory, but not cognitive control, accounted for additional variance in L2 and L1 proficiency. More frequent L2 exposure was associated with better cognitive control.

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From “No, she does” to “Yes, she does”: Negation processing in negative yes–no questions by Mandarin speakers of English

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716421000175 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-31

Author(s):

Haoruo Zhang ◽

Norbert Vanek

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Reaction Time ◽

English Speakers ◽

Production Experiment ◽

Mandarin Speakers ◽

L1 And L2 ◽

Negative Questions

Abstract In response to negative yes–no questions (e.g., Doesn’t she like cats?), typical English answers (Yes, she does/No, she doesn’t) peculiarly vary from those in Mandarin (No, she does/Yes, she doesn’t). What are the processing consequences of these markedly different conventionalized linguistic responses to achieve the same communicative goals? And if English and Mandarin speakers process negative questions differently, to what extent does processing change in Mandarin–English sequential bilinguals? Two experiments addressed these questions. Mandarin–English bilinguals, English and Mandarin monolinguals (N = 40/group) were tested in a production experiment (Expt. 1). The task was to formulate answers to positive/negative yes–no questions. The same participants were also tested in a comprehension experiment (Expt. 2), in which they had to answer positive/negative questions with time-measured yes/no button presses. In both Expt. 1 and Expt. 2, English and Mandarin speakers showed language-specific yes/no answers to negative questions. Also, in both experiments, English speakers showed a reaction-time advantage over Mandarin speakers in negation conditions. Bilingual’s performance was in-between that of the L1 and L2 baseline. These findings are suggestive of language-specific processing of negative questions. They also signal that the ways in which bilinguals process negative questions are susceptible to restructuring driven by the second language.

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Neural deficits in auditory phonological processing in Chinese children with English reading impairment

Bilingualism Language and Cognition ◽

10.1017/s1366728915000073 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 331-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

XIANGZHI MENG ◽

HANLIN YOU ◽

MEIXIA SONG ◽

AMY S. DESROCHES ◽

ZHENGKE WANG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Phonological Processing ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Neural Mechanism ◽

Reading Impairment ◽

English Reading ◽

L2 Learners ◽

L1 And L2 ◽

Esl Learners

Auditory phonological processing skills are critical for successful reading development in English not only in native (L1) speakers but also in second language (L2) learners. However, the neural deficits of auditory phonological processing remain unknown in English-as-the-second-language (ESL) learners with reading difficulties. Here we investigated neural responses during spoken word rhyme judgments in typical and impaired ESL readers in China. The impaired readers showed comparable activation in the left superior temporal gyrus (LSTG), but reduced activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and left fusiform and reduced connectivity between the LSTG and left fusiform when compared to typical readers. These findings suggest that impaired ESL readers have relative intact representations but impaired manipulation of phonology and reduced or absent automatic access to orthographic representations. This is consistent with previous findings in native English speakers and suggests a common neural mechanism underlying English impairment across the L1 and L2 learners.

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The Eyes Chico, They Never Lie – Using Eye-Tracking to Examine Faking on the Conditional Reasoning Test for Aggression

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000276 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 84-96

Author(s):

Mitja Ružojčić ◽

Zvonimir Galić ◽

Antun Palanović ◽

Maja Parmač Kovačić ◽

Andreja Bubić

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Personnel Selection ◽

Test Scores ◽

Conditional Reasoning ◽

Reasoning Test ◽

Test Study ◽

True Purpose ◽

Response Alternatives

Abstract. To better understand the process of responding to the Conditional Reasoning Test for Aggression (CRT-A) and its implication for the test's use in personnel selection, we conducted two lab studies in which we compared test scores and eye movements of participants responding honestly and faking the test. Study 1 results showed that, although participants might try to respond differently to the CRT-A while faking, it remains an indirect and unfakeable measure as long as the test's purpose is undisclosed. Study 2 showed that revealing the true purpose of the CRT-A diminishes the test's indirect nature so the test becomes fakeable, solving it requires less attention and participants direct their eyes more to response alternatives congruent with the presentational demands.

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Lexicalized structural priming in second language online sentence comprehension

Second language Research ◽

10.1177/0267658317723684 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 395-416 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hang Wei ◽

Julie E. Boland ◽

Jonathan Brennan ◽

Fang Yuan ◽

Min Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Adult Learners ◽

Relative Clause ◽

Relative Clauses ◽

Sentence Comprehension ◽

First Language ◽

Structural Priming ◽

Chinese Adult ◽

Education Levels ◽

L1 And L2

Prior work has shown intriguing differences between first language (L1) and second language (L2) comprehension priming of relative clauses. We investigated English reduced relative clause priming in Chinese adult learners of English. Participants of different education levels read sentences in a self-paced, moving window paradigm. Critical sentences had a temporarily ambiguous reduced relative clause. Across lists, critical sentences were rotated, so that they occurred either as prime or as target, and had either the same or different verb as the critical sentence with which they were paired. Prime/target pairs were separated by several filler sentences, which never contained a relative clause. Mean reading times for the disambiguating region in the target sentences were faster than in the prime sentences, but only in the same-verb condition, not in the different-verb condition. This pattern of results is consistent with L1 comprehension priming research, suggesting that similar lexically specific mechanisms are involved in L1 and L2 comprehension priming of reduced relative clauses. These findings are in line with lexicalist accounts of sentence comprehension (e.g. MacDonald et al., 1994), according to which syntactic information is bound to specific words. In addition, these findings argue against theories that postulate fundamental differences in processing of L1 and L2 (e.g. Clahsen and Felser, 2006a, 2006b).

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“Identical” vowels in L1 and L2? Criteria and implications for L2 phonetics teaching and learning

EUROSLA Yearbook ◽

10.1075/eurosla.16.06pai ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 144-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nikola Maurova Paillereau

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Strong Influence ◽

First Language ◽

Positive Transfer ◽

Phonetic Similarity ◽

Perceptual Characteristics ◽

L1 And L2

Researchers in the field of the teaching and learning of phonetics agree that learners of a foreign/second language (L2) acquire identical vowels by positive transfer from their first language (L1). This statement prompted us to examine whether the French and Czech languages, differing in the size of their vowel inventories, possess any identical vowels that could thus be omitted from French as a Foreign Language (FFL) phonetic curricula intended for Czech learners. The quantification of the vowels’ phonetic similarity is based on the comparison of their (1) phonetic symbols, (2) formant values (F-patterns), and (3) perceptual characteristics. The combined results show that strictly identical vowels between the two languages do not exist, but some French vowels can be defined as highly similar to some Czech vowels. Different coarticulatory effects of vowels produced in isolation and in labial, dental and palato-velar symmetrical environments point to a very strong influence of phonetic contexts on vowel similarity. Indeed, no French vowel is highly similar to any Czech vowel in all of the contexts studied. The findings suggest that phonetic exercises designed for Czech learners should focus on allophonic variations of all French vowels.

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Dynamic Transfer and Relations between First Language (L1) Proficiency and Second Language (L2) Writing Skills Performance

10.31235/osf.io/2t6cf ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Abdulelah Alkhateeb

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

English Language ◽

First Language ◽

Writing Skills ◽

Arabic Language ◽

Future Research ◽

Dynamic Relationship ◽

Arabic And English ◽

L1 And L2

This study investigates the transfer relationship between first language (L1) (Arabic) proficiency and second language (L2) (English) performance in writing skills of a Saudi bilingual graduate student. Several studies have discussed the transfer issues in language learning, yet a few of them focus on the transfer relationships between Arabic and English language writing skills. Regardless of the huge linguistic distinction between the English language and Arabic language, it is presumed that Arabic and English writing skills positively, negatively, and neutrally transferred in a dynamic relationship. The researcher has conducted observations and interviews with Fatimah, the participant of this study, and analyzed her texts in both languages to illustrate how dynamic relationships between L1 and L2 in the composition skills is and what the effects of language transfer in the composition skills between L1 and L2 are. The data were collected and analyzed in January 2018. The results demonstrate effects of L2 on L1 as the following; first, a reverse or backward transfer implemented in three ways; positive, negative, and neutral transfer. Second, they indicate that there is a dynamic relationship between second language performance and first language proficiency in composition particularly. It is hoped that this knowledge will assist students in being aware of the effects of L2 on L1 specifically in composition and taking the advantages to accelerate the rate of language learning. It is recommended for future research to conduct studies in bilingual writings to investigate how L1 could be a resource and advocate of language development.

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