An ERP study of second language learning after childhood: Effects of proficiency
An ERP study of second language learning after childhood: Effects of proficiency
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DOI：
10.1162/0898929055002436
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发表时间：
2005-08-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Kakigi, R
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Ojima, S;Nakata, H;Kakigi, R
语言习得是否存在一个绝对的关键期是一个持续争论的问题。解决这一问题的一种方法是比较儿童期后第二语言（L2）学习过程和儿童期第一语言（L1）学习过程。为了研究儿童期后L2学习的皮层过程，我们比较了两组成年日本人的事件相关脑电位，他们在儿童期后达到了英语的高或中级水平（J-High和J-Low），以及成年英语母语者（ENG）。英语句子中的语义异常在三组中均诱发了明显的N400成分，只有大脑激活的时间过程在各组中不同。句法违规引起了左偏否定类似的左前否定在ENG和J-高，但不是在J-低。在ENG中，还发现了P600成分。这些结果表明，语义加工从早期开始在二语学习中是稳健的，而句法加工的发展更依赖于熟练程度，这一点可以从J-Low中左偏否定的缺乏得到证明。由于语义加工相对于句法加工的早期成熟和稳定性也是L1加工的一个特征，因此儿童期后的L2学习可能与儿童期L1学习受相同的大脑特性支配。我们认为，这些过程在许多方面是定性相似的，只有有限的领域的语言处理受到绝对的关键期效应。
Whether there is an absolute critical period for acquiring language is a matter of continuous debate. One approach to address this issue is to compare the processes of second language (L2) learning after childhood and those of first language (L1) learning during childhood. To study the cortical process of postchildhood L2 learning, we compared event-related brain potentials recorded from two groups of adult Japanese speakers who attained either high or intermediate proficiency in English after childhood (J-High and J-Low), and adult native English speakers (ENG). Semantic anomalies embedded in English sentences evoked a clear N400 component in all three groups, With only the time Course of the brain activation varying among the groups. Syntactic violations elicited a left-lateralized negativity similar to the left anterior negativity in ENG and J-High, but not in J-Low. In ENG, a P600 component was additionally found. These results suggest that semantic processing is robust from early on in L2 learning, whereas the development of syntactic processing is more dependent on proficiency as evidenced by the lack of the left-lateralized negativity in J-Low. Because early maturation and stability of semantic processing as opposed to syntactic processing are also a feature of L1 processing, postchildhood L2 learning may be governed by the same brain properties as those which govern childhood L1 learning. We argue that these processes are qualitatively similar in many respects, with only restricted domains of language processing being subject to absolute critical period effects.