Exploring the Dynamics of Language and Thought in the Multilingual Mind: Effects of Multiple Language Learning

探索多语言思维中语言和思维的动态：多语言学习的效果

• 批准号: ES/V012274/1
• 负责人: YI WANG
• 金额: $ 13.68万
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FV012274%2F1
• 关键词: Exploring; Dynamics; Language; Thought; Multilingual

The classic question of whether the language we speak influences the way we think has received renewed interest in recent years with a number of new research paradigms. Empirical evidence shows that language can exert rapid and immediate or pervasive and stable effects on various cognitive processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning and categorization, in a flexible and context-dependent manner (Slobin, 1996; Whorf, 1956; Wolff & Holmes, 2011). For example, language effects can be profound in the sense of affecting even basic visual perceptions (Lupyan, 2012), and yet venerable to short-term experimental manipulations such as linguistic priming (Montero-Melis & Bylund, 2016), the language of task instructions (Athanasopoulos et al., 2015), or verbal interference (Trueswell & Papafragou, 2010). Despite compelling empirical evidence from psychological experiments that our understanding and perception of the world are affected by language-specific categories, several issues regarding the language-thought debate remain unresolved. First, the evidence obtained is largely based on the investigation of monolingual speakers or L2 learners through cross-linguistic comparisons. Research on speakers of more than two languages remains very limited. As multilingualism is an increasingly common linguistic phenomenon worldwide (Aronin & Singleton, 2012) and multilinguals display unique linguistic and cognitive features (Cook & Li, 2016), extending language and thought research to the domain of multilingualism provides new insights into and has important implications for understanding the processes and effects of additional language learning. Second, although evidence suggests that language effects are largely context-dependent and malleable under various experimental manipulations (Wang & Li, 2019), it is still unclear whether such effects have long-term and lasting consequences across different times, contexts and modalities. As proposed by Sidnell and Enfield (2012), in addition to lab experiments, an ecologically valid approach to language-thought research should be outlined by examining naturally occurring conversations and their collateral effects in situated action. Thus, it is of theoretical and methodological importance to combine cognitive psychological methods with analyses of naturalistic behaviors.The proposed study aims to extend the research on language, space, and cognition to the domain of multilingualism by examining the potential effects of multiple language learning on spatial expressions and representations. An innovative multidisciplinary approach that brings together linguistics, experimental psychology, as well as naturalistic observations, will be used. Specifically, a series of lab-based experiments combining both online (reaction time and eye movements) and off-line measures (language production and similarity arrangement) will be carried out to assess mental representations and visual perceptions of motion in functional multilinguals across different modalities. In addition, it will further examine instances of multilingual natural behaviors in real-life social interactions with regard to spatial expressions and spatial cognition. This study aims to extend the current theoretical and methodological debates over Linguistic Relativity to the domain of multilingualism and contribute to our understanding of the dynamics between language learning and the malleability of human cognition. It will shed light on whether language-specific ways of thinking can be used in teaching as a means to facilitate language learning in multilingual education. In addition, as cognitive patterns may influence communicative interaction with people from different cultural backgrounds, this study can have implications for promoting effective communication, especially between language learners and native speakers with different linguistic systems, for a better cross-cultural understanding and interpersonal social interaction.

我们所说的语言是否影响我们的思维方式这一经典问题近年来随着一些新的研究范式而重新受到关注。经验证据表明，语言可以以灵活和依赖于上下文的方式对各种认知过程（如感知，记忆，推理和分类）施加快速和即时或广泛和稳定的影响（Slobin，1996; Whorf，1956; Wolff & Holmes，2011）。例如，语言效应在影响甚至基本视觉感知的意义上可能是深刻的（Lupyan，2012），但对于短期实验操作，如语言启动（Montero-Melis & Bylund，2016），任务指令的语言（Athanasopoulos等人，2015年），或言语干扰（Trueswell和Papafragou，2010年）。尽管心理学实验中有令人信服的实证证据表明，我们对世界的理解和感知受到特定语言类别的影响，但关于语言-思维辩论的几个问题仍然没有得到解决。首先，所获得的证据主要是基于对单语者或二语学习者的跨语言比较调查。对使用两种以上语言的人的研究仍然非常有限。由于多语现象在世界范围内越来越普遍（Aronin & Singleton，2012），多语者表现出独特的语言和认知特征（Cook & Li，2016），将语言和思维研究扩展到多语领域提供了新的见解，并对理解额外语言学习的过程和影响具有重要意义。其次，尽管有证据表明语言效果在很大程度上依赖于上下文，并且在各种实验操作下具有可塑性（Wang & Li，2019），但目前尚不清楚这些效果是否会在不同的时间，上下文和模式中产生长期和持久的影响。正如Sidnell和恩菲尔德（2012）所提出的，除了实验室实验外，还应该通过检查自然发生的对话及其在情境行动中的附带影响来概述语言思维研究的生态有效方法。因此，联合收割机将认知心理学方法与自然主义行为分析相结合具有重要的理论和方法论意义。本研究旨在通过考察多语言学习对空间表达和表征的潜在影响，将语言、空间和认知的研究扩展到多语言使用领域。一个创新的多学科方法，汇集了语言学，实验心理学，以及自然观察，将被使用。具体而言，一系列基于实验室的实验结合在线（反应时间和眼球运动）和离线措施（语言生产和相似性安排）将进行评估的心理表征和视觉感知的运动功能的多语言跨不同的方式。此外，它将进一步研究在现实生活中的社会交往中的多语言自然行为的空间表达和空间认知方面的实例。本研究旨在将当前关于语言相对论的理论和方法论争论扩展到多语言领域，并有助于我们理解语言学习与人类认知可塑性之间的动态关系。它将揭示语言特定的思维方式是否可以在教学中使用，作为一种手段，以促进语言学习的多语教育。此外，由于认知模式可能会影响与来自不同文化背景的人的交际互动，本研究可以促进有效的沟通，特别是在语言学习者和不同语言系统的母语者之间，更好地跨文化理解和人际社会互动。

项目成果

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

两种语言，一种思维：语言学习对早期粤英双语者运动事件处理的影响

• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Animal Minds, CogSci 2021
• 作者: Wang Y.

Multilingual learning and cognitive restructuring: The role of audiovisual media exposure in Cantonese-English-Japanese multilinguals' motion event cognition

多语言学习与认知重建：视听媒体接触在粤语-英语-日语多语言者运动事件认知中的作用

• DOI: 10.1177/13670069221085565
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: International Journal of Bilingualism
• 影响因子: 1.5
• 作者: Wang Y

Thinking and Speaking in a Second Language

用第二语言思考和说话

• DOI: 10.1017/9781009075053
• 发表时间: 2022
• 作者: Wang Y

Negation processing in Chinese-English bilinguals: insights from the Stroop paradigm and an orientation task

汉英双语者的否定处理：斯特鲁普范式和定向任务的见解

• DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2022.2074274
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
• 影响因子: 2.8
• 作者: Zhang H

Cognitive restructuring in the multilingual mind: language-specific effects on processing efficiency of caused motion events in Cantonese-English-Japanese speakers

多语言思维中的认知重建：语言特定对粤语-英语-日语使用者引起的动作事件处理效率的影响

• DOI: 10.1017/s1366728921000018
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Language and Cognition
• 影响因子: 1.8
• 作者: Wang Y