Lexical Access of Bilinguals and Multilinguals
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Acta Scientiarum http://www.uem.br/acta ISSN printed: 1983-4675 ISSN on-line: 1983-4683 Doi: 10.4025/actascilangcult.v37i4.25234 Lexical access of bilinguals and multilinguals Pâmela Freitas Pereira Toassi* e Mailce Borges Mota Departamento de Língua e Literatura Estrangeiras, Programa de Pós-graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos, Laboratório da Linguagem e Processos Cognitivos, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, Rua Eng. Agronômico Andrei Cristian Ferreira, s/n, Prédio B, sala 511, 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. *Author for correspondence. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. This paper presents studies on the lexical access of bilinguals with the aim of extending the assumptions of the bilingual lexicon to the study with multilinguals. For that, studies that investigated the Revised Hierarchical Model (RHM), the Bilingual Interactive Activation (BIA+) model and the models of speech production, on the serial and interactive views, are presented. Two models specifically designed for multilinguals are also presented in this paper: the Multilingual Processing Model and the Dynamic Model of Multilingualism. Based on this review of literature, research questions are raised to the investigation of the models presented with multilinguals. Keywords: multilingualism, bilingualism. Acesso lexical de bilíngues e multilíngues RESUMO. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar estudos sobre o acesso lexical de bilíngues e expandir as pressuposições do léxico bilíngue para o estudo com multilíngues. Para tanto, são apresentados estudos que investigaram o modelo hierárquico revisado (RHM), o modelo interativo bilíngue (BIA+) e os modelos de produção da fala da visão sequencial e interativa. Dois modelos desenhados para multilíngues também são apresentados neste artigo: o modelo do processamento multilíngue e o modelo dinâmico do multilinguismo. A partir dessa revisão de literatura, são levantadas questões de pesquisa para investigar os modelos apresentados, principalmente com multilíngues. Palavras-chave: multilinguismo, bilinguismo. Introduction encourage the research with the multilingual lexicon in Brazil, since the country has a great potential to The literature does not provide single and develop research in different scenarios with different conclusive answers to explain the organization and combinations of languages. Thus, we may also processing of the mental lexicon of bilinguals. There contribute to researches on lexical access and are different models and hypotheses, under different multilingualism in the international scenario. perspectives, with the aim of explaining the mental Because of the disproportionate number of lexicon of bilinguals. Besides, studies focused on the studies regarding the bilingual lexicon (KROLL; lexical access of bilinguals, on language TOKOWICZ, 2005), a review of literature that comprehension and production, present different contemplates all the research area is beyond the results. This debate becomes even more intense limits of this article. Therefore, selection criteria when addressed from the perspective of the were necessary. Assuming that the questions related multilingualism, since the addition of another to lexical access are better explained by experiments language makes the system more complex. Based on (DIJKSTRA, 2005), empirical studies focused on the the exposed above, results of a review of literature lexical access of bilinguals/multilinguals, related to on the lexical access of bilinguals will be presented, models extensively investigated in the literature, in which the assumptions related to the bilingual were selected for this review of literature. lexicon will be expanded for the study with The two most extensively explored models of multilingual individuals. lexical access – the revised hierachical model This article has as main objective to raise (RHM) and the bilingual interactive activation discussion questions related to the research with the model (BIA) – in this article are frequent in reviews multilingual lexicon, based on the models of of literature on lexical access, both in articles and bilingual/multilingual lexicon that are found in the book chapters (KROLL; DIJKSTRA, 2002; KROLL; literature. A secondary objective of this study is to SUNDERMAN, 2003; DIJKSTRA, 2005, 2007; Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture Maringá, v. 37, n. 4, p. 393-404, Oct.-Dec., 2015 394 Toassi and Mota THOMAS; VAN HEUVEN, 2005; KROLL; within the hierarchical perspective of organization of TOKOWICZ, 2005; HEREDIA; BROWN, 2012). the bilingual lexicon: the word association and the The revised hierarchical model (RHM) dominates concept mediation. These two hypothesis aimed at research on bilingual language processing explaining the connections stablished during L2 (BRYSBAERT; DUYCK, 2010). This model has as vocabulary acquisition According to the word focus the development of bilingual proficiency. On association hypothesis, when L2 words are acquired, the other hand, the BIA model is the most they form direct associations with L1 words. On the extensively investigated model in the literature on other hand, the the concept mediation hypothesis the word form (KROLL; TOKOWICZ, 2005). suggests that the L2 words are associated with the Thus, to complete the understanding on lexical non-linguistic concepts, which are common to L1 access, models focused on lexical production were and L2. also explored in this article. Two models of speech Kroll and Stewart (1994) conducted a study to production that represent a non-consensual view of investigate the hierarchical hypotheses proposed by lexical access of bilinguals are presented: the Potter et al. (1984), which consisted of three Multilingual Processing Model and the Dynamic experiments, which involved picture and word Model of Multilingualism. These two models were naming and a translation task. The results of the included in this review of literature due to their study showed that words were named faster than the specific focus on multilingualism. corresponding pictures. The results also provided Before starting the discussion on the evidence that picture naming requires concept multilingual lexicon, a distinction should be made, mediation and word naming does not. Additionally, in this article, with respect to bilinguals and the translation from L1 to L2 took more time than multilinguals. Throughout this article, the term from L2 to L1, since this translation was conceptualy bilingual will be used to designate the individual mediated and was not influenced by the semantic with knowledge of two languages, while the term context. On the other hand, translation from L2 to multilingual will be used to refer to the person with L1 was not influenced by semantic context, as knowledge of three or more languages naming also was not. Consequently, translation (HAMMARBERG, 2001). This distinction is from L2 to L1 seemed to be lexically mediated. supported by scholars in the area of multilingualism The results of Kroll and Stewart (1994) provided (JESSNER, 2006; DE ANGELIS, 2007; CENOZ, empirical support for an asymmetrical model of 2008). De Angelis (2007) argues in favor of this organization of the bilingual lexicon, the revised distinction, mainly due to the effects that prior hierarchical model (RHM). This proposes that, for linguistic knowledge has on subsequent language late L2 acquisition, where the L1 lexicon and the acquisition. The author argues that if the term L2 is conceptual memory are already stablished, the L2 applied to all languages learned after the L1, this words, are added to the system through lexical links does not imply any differentiation in the learning with the L1. However, as proficiency increases, process of a third and a second language. Similarly, direct conceptual links for the L2 words are also Butler (2012, p. 111) affirms to be important that acquired. Although, the lexical connections between researchers “[…] do not blindly assume that the L1 and L2 words do not disappear. The RHM bilinguals are the same as multilinguals”. has received empirical support from several studies This article is organized into five sections. with bilinguals, as presented in Table 1. Section 1 has as focus the hierarchical models of According to Table 1, it is observed that different lexical access. Sections 2 and 3 are related to the methodologies were applied in the studies lexical acces in language comprehension and presented. Empirical support for the RHM was production, respectively. Lastly, section 4 presents found either with the translation asymmetry effect the Multilingual Processing Model and the (KROLL et al., 2002), or in a greater N400 effect in Dynamic Model of Multilingualism. A conclusion is backward than in forward translation (PALMER et presented after section 4. al., 2010). Additionaly, it was found a faster priming effect in the backward order (L2-L1) than in the Lexical access according to the revised hierachical order L1- L2 (ALVAREZ et al., 2003). There was model also evidence that L2 processing is slower than the L1, due to the necessity to access L2 words through Hierarchical models propose that the words of the L1 lexicon (PHILLIPS et al., 2004). Finally, the two languages of the bilingual are stored in repetition of concepts were shown to be more separate lexicons (MARINI; FABBRO, 2007). effective from L1 to L2, than from L2 to L1 Potter et al. (1984) proposed the first hypothesis (SHOLL et al., 1995). Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture Maringá, v.