Work

Cross-linguistic influence in Japanese-English spoken word recognition: Bidirectional phonological, semantic, and cognate frequency effects

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigated cross-linguistic influence (CLI) in spoken word recognition in a typologically distinct language pair. Japanese–English bilinguals performed auditory lexical decision tasks in both L1 (Japanese) and L2 (English), presented in counterbalanced order, responding to cognates varying in cross-linguistic overlap and to matched nonwords. This design allowed direct comparison of L1 and L2 processing within the same individuals. Response times measured from stimulus onset and offset were compared to capture changes in effects across the time course of processing. In both languages, phonological and semantic similarities significantly facilitated responses, though phonological similarity effects varied slightly over time. Cognate frequency inhibited responses later in time, varying by language, and L2 proficiency further modulated performance. Importantly, these effects emerged spontaneously, without priming, demonstrating bidirectional cognate facilitation even across linguistically distant languages. The results support the applicability of the BIA+ model to auditory processing, even for different-script bilinguals.

Source: Bilingualism Language and Cognition

DOI: 10.1017/s1366728926101527

Author: Jamie Taylor

Institutions: Nanzan University, Nagoya 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: Nanzan University