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Chapter 2. Listening with your cohort

Do bilingual toddlers co-activate cohorts from both languages when hearing words in one language alone?
  • Susan C. Bobb , Laila Y.D. Nauck , Nicole Altvater-Mackensen , Katie Von Holzen and Nivedita Mani
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Cognitive Control and Consequences of Multilingualism
This chapter is in the book Cognitive Control and Consequences of Multilingualism

Abstract

Bilingual children, like bilingual adults, co-activate both languages during word recognition and production. But what is the extent of this co-activation? In the present study, we asked whether or not bilingual preschool children activate a shared phonological cohort across languages when hearing words only in their L1. We tested German-English children on a cross-modal priming paradigm. To ensure co-activation of languages, children first heard a short code-switch story. Compared to a monolingual control group, bilingual children in Experiment 1 showed only partial sensitivity to the L1 cohort. Bilingual children who did not hear the code-switch story (Experiment 2) showed priming effects identical to the monolinguals in Experiment 1. Results indicate that under single-language contexts, German-English bilingual preschoolers do not activate the non-target language cohort during word recognition but instead restrict cohort activation to the language of input. In contrast, presentation of the non-target language in the code-switch story appears to shift cohort activation and increase L2 activation, suggesting a highly flexible language system that is in tune to the broader linguistic context. We consider mechanisms of bilingual language control that may enable bilingual toddlers to limit cross-language phonological activation.

Abstract

Bilingual children, like bilingual adults, co-activate both languages during word recognition and production. But what is the extent of this co-activation? In the present study, we asked whether or not bilingual preschool children activate a shared phonological cohort across languages when hearing words only in their L1. We tested German-English children on a cross-modal priming paradigm. To ensure co-activation of languages, children first heard a short code-switch story. Compared to a monolingual control group, bilingual children in Experiment 1 showed only partial sensitivity to the L1 cohort. Bilingual children who did not hear the code-switch story (Experiment 2) showed priming effects identical to the monolinguals in Experiment 1. Results indicate that under single-language contexts, German-English bilingual preschoolers do not activate the non-target language cohort during word recognition but instead restrict cohort activation to the language of input. In contrast, presentation of the non-target language in the code-switch story appears to shift cohort activation and increase L2 activation, suggesting a highly flexible language system that is in tune to the broader linguistic context. We consider mechanisms of bilingual language control that may enable bilingual toddlers to limit cross-language phonological activation.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. About the editor xi
  5. About the contributors xiii
  6. Part I: Introduction
  7. Cognitive and neurocognitive implications of language control and multilingualism 3
  8. Part II: Cognitive control and multilingualism
  9. Chapter 1. Bilingualism, executive control, and eye movement measures of reading 11
  10. Chapter 2. Listening with your cohort 47
  11. Chapter 3. The role of executive function in the perception of L2 speech sounds in young balanced and unbalanced dual language learners 71
  12. Chapter 4. Are cognate words “special”? 97
  13. Chapter 5. Action speaks louder than words, even in speaking 127
  14. Chapter 6. Influence of preparation time on language control 145
  15. Chapter 7. When L1 suffers 171
  16. Chapter 8. Effects of cognitive control, lexical robustness, and frequency of codeswitching on language switching 193
  17. Chapter 9. The locus of cross-language activation 217
  18. Chapter 10. Syntactic interference in bilingual naming during language switching 239
  19. Chapter 11. Multi-component perspective of cognitive control in bilingualism 271
  20. Part III: Consequences of multilingualism
  21. Chapter 12. The bilingual advantage in the auditory domain 299
  22. Chapter 13. Executive functions in bilingual children 323
  23. Chapter 14. Home language usage and executive function in bilingual preschoolers 351
  24. Chapter 15. Cognitive mechanisms underlying performance differences between monolinguals and bilinguals 375
  25. Chapter 16. Time course differences between bilinguals and monolinguals in the Simon task* 397
  26. Chapter 17. Top down influence on executive control in bilinguals 427
  27. Index 451
https://doi.org/10.1075/bpa.2.03bob

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. About the editor xi
  5. About the contributors xiii
  6. Part I: Introduction
  7. Cognitive and neurocognitive implications of language control and multilingualism 3
  8. Part II: Cognitive control and multilingualism
  9. Chapter 1. Bilingualism, executive control, and eye movement measures of reading 11
  10. Chapter 2. Listening with your cohort 47
  11. Chapter 3. The role of executive function in the perception of L2 speech sounds in young balanced and unbalanced dual language learners 71
  12. Chapter 4. Are cognate words “special”? 97
  13. Chapter 5. Action speaks louder than words, even in speaking 127
  14. Chapter 6. Influence of preparation time on language control 145
  15. Chapter 7. When L1 suffers 171
  16. Chapter 8. Effects of cognitive control, lexical robustness, and frequency of codeswitching on language switching 193
  17. Chapter 9. The locus of cross-language activation 217
  18. Chapter 10. Syntactic interference in bilingual naming during language switching 239
  19. Chapter 11. Multi-component perspective of cognitive control in bilingualism 271
  20. Part III: Consequences of multilingualism
  21. Chapter 12. The bilingual advantage in the auditory domain 299
  22. Chapter 13. Executive functions in bilingual children 323
  23. Chapter 14. Home language usage and executive function in bilingual preschoolers 351
  24. Chapter 15. Cognitive mechanisms underlying performance differences between monolinguals and bilinguals 375
  25. Chapter 16. Time course differences between bilinguals and monolinguals in the Simon task* 397
  26. Chapter 17. Top down influence on executive control in bilinguals 427
  27. Index 451
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