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Two languages, one mind: the effects of language learning on motion event processing in early Cantonese-English bilinguals

Wang, Y; Wei, L; (2021) Two languages, one mind: the effects of language learning on motion event processing in early Cantonese-English bilinguals. In: Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Comparative Cognition: Animal Minds, CogSci 2021. (pp. pp. 2169-2175). Cognitive Science Society Green open access

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Abstract

Can learning a second language (L2) redirect what we perceive to be similar events? This study investigated how Cantonese-English bilinguals categorized and processed spontaneous motion when the access to language ranged from maximal to minimal. In Experiment 1, participants verbalized the target events in either Cantonese or English right before making their similarity judgements. Results suggested that bilinguals patterned with English monolinguals in both lexicalization and conceptualization irrespective of the language of operation. In Experiment 2, participants experienced verbal interference while making their decisions. Results showed that bilinguals followed an English-like way in event conceptualization as indicated by their processing efficiency of manner and path. However, no cross-linguistic differences were found in speakers’ categorical preferences. The overall findings suggest that subtle typological differences between the L1 and L2 can restructure bilinguals’ cognitive behaviour. And the magnitude of such impact is modulated by different degrees of language involvement.

Type: Proceedings paper
Title: Two languages, one mind: the effects of language learning on motion event processing in early Cantonese-English bilinguals
Event: 43rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society - CogSci 2021
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Publisher version: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6618x8mw
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Culture, Communication and Media
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10157909
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