First language grapheme-phoneme transparency effects in adult second-language learning

The Spanish writing system has consistent grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences (GPC), rendering it more transparent than English. We compared first-language (L1) orthographic transparency on how monolingual English- and Spanish-readers learned a novel writing system with a 1:1 (LT) and a 1:2 (LO) GPC. Our dependent variables were learning time, decoding, and vocabulary. We found a main effect for transparency. Participants learned LT faster and decoded more words in LT than in LO. L1 reading characteristics influenced learning. English-readers decoded more words in the LO-LT sequence and Spanish-readers decoded more words in the LT-LO sequence. Spanish-readers had more difficulty recalling the meaning of LO than LT words; for English-readers there was no difference between the two word types. Our findings indicate that readers’ L1 orthographic transparency or GPC type influences L2 decoding and the learning of L2 words from combined written-auditory teaching

Working memory in simultaneous interpreters: Effects of task and age

This study examines whether interpreters have better working memory (WM) than noninterpreters, taking into account different WM components and the potential modulatory influence of age. Younger and older interpreters and non-interpreters were tested on reading span, nonword repetition, and order- and category-cued recall, using English, second-language materials. Articulation rate was also assessed. Interpreters outperformed non-interpreters in reading span and nonword repetition, but not cued recall and articulation rate. These results suggest that interpreters have better ability to manipulate information in working memory and process or store sub-lexical phonological representations, but have no advantage in short-term retention of words and their meaning. Compared to the other tested groups, younger interpreters were marginally better in nonword repetition and cued recall, suggesting that future studies on WM advantages in interpreters should consider the age factor

Hemispheric processing of vocal emblem sounds

Vocal emblems, such as shh and brr, are speech sounds that have linguistic and nonlinguistic features; thus, it is unclear how they are processed in the brain. Five adult dextral individuals with left-brain damage and moderate– severe Wernicke’s aphasia, five adult dextral individuals with right-brain damage, and five Controls participated in two tasks: (1) matching vocal emblems to photographs (‘picture task’) and (2) matching vocal emblems to verbal translations (‘phrase task’). Cross-group statistical analyses on items on which the Controls performed at ceiling revealed lower accuracy by the group with left-brain damage (than by Controls) on both tasks, and lower accuracy by the group with right-brain damage (than by Controls) on the picture task. Additionally, the group with left-brain damage performed significantly less accurately than the group with right-brain damage on the phrase task only. Findings suggest that comprehension of vocal emblems recruits more left- than right-hemisphere processing

The adaptation of native language construal patterns in second language acquisition

First language attrition occurs when a bilingual’s native language shows evidence of language change due to the predominant use of a second language. Recent research in first language attrition has shown that lexical retrieval and word choice are more vulnerable to reduced native language use than are grammatical constructions. However, some research has shown that grammar can also be affected, especially for constructions which exist in both languages but have different distributions in their usage. Taking concepts from cognitive linguistics, we attempt to describe how this research may provide insight into how language construal from the second language can affect the stability of the construals that make up the native language

Effect of Age, Education, and Bilingualism on Confrontation Naming in Older Illiterate and Low-Educated Populations

We investigated the effects of age as well as the linked factors of education and bilingualism on confrontation naming in rural Kashmir by creating a culturally appropriate naming test with pictures of 60 objects. We recruited 48 cognitively normal participants whose ages ranged from 18 to 28 and from 60 to 85. Participants in our study were illiterate monolinguals (N=18) and educated Kashmiri-Urdu bilinguals (N=30). Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that younger adults performed better than older adults (P<0.01) and the age effect was quadratic (age2). It also showed Age X Education and Age X L2 Speaking interactions predicted naming performance. The Age X Education interaction indicated that the advantages of greater education increased with advancing age. Since education is in the second language (L2) in our population, this finding is no doubt linked to the Age X L2 Speaking interaction. This suggests that L2 speaking proficiency contributed more to first language (L1) naming with advancing age

Effect of age, education, and bilingualism on confrontation naming in older illiterate and low-educated populations

We investigated the effects of age as well as the linked factors of education and bilingualism on confrontation naming in rural Kashmir by creating a culturally appropriate naming test with pictures of 60 objects.We recruited 48 cognitively normal participants whose ages ranged from 18 to 28 and from 60 to 85. Participants in our study were illiterate monolinguals (� = 18) and educated Kashmiri-Urdu bilinguals (� = 30). Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that younger adults performed better than older adults (� \u3c 0.01) and the age effect was quadratic (age2). It also showed Age X Education and Age X L2 Speaking interactions predicted naming performance.The Age X Education interaction indicated that the advantages of greater education increased with advancing age. Since education is in the second language (L2) in our population, this finding is no doubt linked to the Age X L2 Speaking interaction. This suggests that L2 speaking proficiency contributed more to first language (L1) naming with advancing age

Hyphens for disambiguating phrases: Effectiveness for young and older adults

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether hyphens that disambiguate phrasing in ambiguous sentences influence reading rate and reading comprehension for younger and older adults. Moreover, as working memory (WM) has been implicated in age-related changes in sentence comprehension for both auditory and written materials, we asked if it contributed to comprehension of our sentences with hyphenated and non-hyphenated ambiguous noun phrases (NPs), predicting that the hyphens would reduce WM load. Twenty younger (M = 24 years) and 20 older (M = 73 years) adults read sentences with either ambiguous or non-ambiguous NPs that were either hyphenated or not. Both reading times for the sentences and accuracy on Yes/No questions were measured. Results indicated that younger adults read sentences more rapidly than the older participants whether sentences were presented word-by-word or as complete sentences. Both younger and older adults read sentences with ambiguous hyphenated NPs faster than sentences with ambiguous non-hyphenated NPs. Yes/No question accuracy distinguished reading of the sentences with ambiguous hyphenated phrases from those with ambiguous non-hyphenated phrases for older, but not for younger adults. Regression analyses showed that age contributed to both accuracy and reading times on this task, whereas WM did not

Agrammatic Verb Errors in Spanish Speakers and Their Normal Discourse Correlates

Agrammatic verb errors are characterized by a reliance on simple verb forms without elaborated inflectional markings. Yet agrammatism studies on verbs have not addressed the possible correlations that might exist between pre-morbid verb use patterns and agrammatic verb production, especially frequency in oral discourse. Spanish, a language with a highly inflected verb system, is a useful context to explore this interaction. This study investigated agrammatic and normal verb use for those Spanish verb tenses found in daily conversation (Silva-Corval/m, 1983; Bentivoglio and Sedano, 1992). We analyzed agrammatic verb performance in spoken discourse and a sentence repetition task, and compared it with verb use in normal spoken and printed narratives. Findings suggested that the present was the most frequently used tense by both agrammatics and normals. The preterit, the second most frequent tense in normals, was similarly employed correctly by agrammatic subjects in the repetition task but was not present in their discourse. All other verb tenses, minimally found in normal texts, were similarly never produced in agrammatic discourse or minimally produced correctly in agrammatic sentence repetition. These results suggest that daily verb use patterns have a facilitating effect on verb use by Spanish-speaking agrammatic subjects. They agree with earlier arguments supporting the resistance of highfrequency words to errors in normal and aphasic speakers (Hall, 1954; Howes, 1964; Rochford & Williams, 1984), possibly a reflection of an automatic, routinized, and overlearned nature due to their early acquisition (Schnitzer, 1989), and a significant degree of lexical strength (Bybee, 1985; 1995; Stemberger & MacWhinney, 1986)

Effects of inhibition on naming in aging = Efeitos da inibição na nomeação no envelhecimento

Os achados sobre a relação entre nomeação e inibição entre os idosos são limitados. Nós postulamos que o controle inibitório é crucial para a nomeação bem-sucedida e testamos seu papel em idosos, exagerando seus efeitos. Os participantes foram 215 idosos com idades entre 55-89 anos, categorizados como "bons" ou "pobres" nomeadores, com base em pontuações de nomeação. Através de um teste computadorizado de nomeação de imagens (SNT), induzimos intrusões. Determinamos então a distância entre a fonte da palavra intrusa e o item atual. O desempenho em testes neuropsicológicos tradicionais de inibição também foi avaliado. Os resultados revelaram que os mais nomeadores "pobres" tiveram mais intrusões no SNT do que os "bons", e suas intrusões permaneceram através de mais estímulos. Isso sugere que os nomeadores mais pobres experimentaram maiores dificuldades de inibição de recuperação do que os melhores nomeadores. O desempenho em testes neuropsicológicos de inibição também discriminou entre nomeadores melhores e mais pobres. Concluindo, a nomeação bem-sucedida entre os adultos mais velhos parece depender muito da manutenção de habilidades inibitória