Work

Anything you can say, I can say faster: The impact of item frequency, frequency of language use, and inhibitory control on monolingual and bilingual picture naming speed

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Bilinguals tend to have slower response times in picture naming than monolinguals in both their first and second languages. Naming speed interacts with item frequency, suggesting that the bilingual disadvantage may be due to less frequent exposure to each language. We measure response speed in a Picture Naming and a Picture-Word-Interference paradigm among 98 bilinguals and 83 monolinguals, looking for interactions between word frequency and frequency of use of both L1 and L2. We confirm previous findings that monolinguals outperform bilinguals, and that the bilingual disadvantage is stronger for low- than for high-frequency items. While immersed bilinguals seem to have an advantage in L2 naming over non-immersed speakers, self-reported use of either language does not affect naming in either language, and the L1 is not affected by the immersed vs. non-immersed distinction. We conclude that frequency remains an elusive factor in bilingual development, and particularly in L1 attrition.

Source: Studies in Second Language Acquisition

DOI: 10.1017/s0272263126101806

Authors: Monika Schmid, Beatriz Martin Gascon, Concepción Soto, Ehsan Solaimani

Institutions: University of York, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Northwestern University

Language: English

Topic: Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550

Funder: University of Essex