Contextual Learning of L2 Word Meanings: Second Language Proficiency Modulates Behavioural and ERP Indicators of Learning

Overview

Journal Lang Cogn Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2015 May 19

PMID 25984550

Citations 7

Authors

Irina Elgort

Charles A Perfetti

Ben Rickles

Joseph Z Stafura

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

New word learning occurs incidentally through exposure to language. Hypothesizing that effectiveness of contextual word learning in a second language (L2) depends on the quality of existing lexical semantic knowledge, we tested more and less proficient adult bilinguals in an incidental word learning task. One day after being exposed to rare words in an L2 (English) reading task, the bilinguals read sentences with the newly-learned words in the sentence-final position, followed by related or unrelated meaning probes. Both proficiency groups showed some learning through faster responses on related trials and a frontal N400 effect observed during probe word reading. However, word learning was more robust for the higher-proficiency group, who showed a larger semantic relatedness effect in unfamiliar contexts and a canonical N400 (central-parietal). The results suggest that the ability to learn the meanings of new words from context depends on the L2 lexical semantic knowledge of the reader.

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