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

Abstract

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.

Intensity of Multilingual Language Use Predicts Cognitive Performance in Some Multilingual Older Adults

“…First of all, the robustness of the inhibitory control account, whereby response inhibition was put forward as the driving force behind cognitive advantages, has been called into question by research on linguistic interference in (picture) naming. In a Dutch L1 picture naming experiment with a small group of university students, researchers found L2 English interference at the phonological level [ 14 ], suggesting facilitation and interference effects of the non-target language [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This goes against the notion that selection of the appropriate language is solely accounted for by the mechanism to inhibit the non-appropriate language (form), hence propelling researchers to argue that inhibition alone cannot explain executive control advantages (e.g., [ 10 ]).…”

Monitoring of language selection errors in switching: Not all about conflict

“…The concept of conflict monitoring may also be relevant for bilingual control. During bilingual production, conflicts arise not only within a language (e.g., word selection, phoneme selection), but also between multiple languages which are simultaneously activated [ 25 – 28 ]. Bilingual language control is often investigated using a picture naming task, where bilingual speakers are asked to name pictures in either of their languages according to a language cue (e.g., a flag or a color patch).…”

Monitoring of language selection errors in switching: Not all about conflict

“…The concept of conflict monitoring may also be relevant for bilingual control. During bilingual production, conflicts arise not only within a language (e.g., word selection, phoneme selection), but also between multiple languages which are simultaneously activated [25][26][27][28].…”