Asymmetric lexical access and fuzzy lexical representations in second language learners

Darcy, Isabelle; Daidone, Danielle; Kojima, Chisato

doi:10.1075/ml.8.3.06dar

Article published In:

Phonological and Phonetic considerations of Lexical Processing
[The Mental Lexicon 8:3] 2013
► pp. 372–420

Asymmetric lexical access and fuzzy lexical representations in second language learners

Isabelle Darcy | Indiana University

Danielle Daidone | Indiana University

Chisato Kojima | Indiana University

For L2-learners, confusable phonemic categories lead to ambiguous lexical representations. Yet, learners can establish separate lexical representations for confusable categories, as shown by asymmetric patterns of lexical access, but the source of this asymmetry is not clear (Cutler et al., 2006). Two hypotheses compete, situating its source either at the lexical coding level or at the phonetic categorization level. The lexical coding hypothesis suggests that learners’ encoding of an unfamiliar category is not target-like but makes reference to a familiar L1 category (encoded as a poor exemplar of that L1 category). Four experiments examined how learners lexically encode confusable phonemic categories. American English learners of Japanese and of German were tested on phonetic categorization and lexical decision for geminate/singleton contrasts and front/back rounded vowel contrasts. Results showed the same asymmetrical patterns as Cutler et al.’s (2006), indicating that learners encode a lexical distinction between difficult categories. Results also clarify that the source of the asymmetry is located at the lexical coding level and does not emerge during input categorization: the distinction is not target-like, and makes reference to L1 categories. We further provide new evidence that asymmetries can be resolved over time: advanced learners are establishing more native-like lexical representations.

Keywords: Japanese, lexical representations in a second language, phonetic categorization, German, lexical encoding

Published online: 7 April 2014

https://doi.org/10.1075/ml.8.3.06dar

References

Baayen, R. H., Piepenbrock, R., & Gulikers, L. ( 1995 ). The CELEX lexical database (CD-ROM) . Philadelphia, PA : Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania .

Banno, E., Ohno, Y., Sakane, Y., & Shinagawa, C. ( 1999 ). Genki: An integrated course in elementary Japanese [volume 1,2]1 . Tokyo : Japan Times .

Best, C. T., & Tyler, M. D. ( 2007 ). Nonnative and second language speech perception. Commonalities and complementarities . In O.-S. Bohn & M. J. Munro (Eds.) , Language experience in second language speech learning: In honor of James Emil Flege ( pp. 13 - 34 ). Amsterdam : John Benjamins .

Bosch, L., Costa, A., & Sebastián-Gallés, N. ( 2000 ). First and second language vowel perception in early bilinguals . European Journal of Cognitive Psychology , 121 , 189 - 221 .

Broersma, M., & Cutler, A. ( 2008 ). Phantom word activation in L2 . System , 361 , 22 - 34 .

Broersma, M. ( 2002 ). Comprehension of non-native speech: Inaccurate phoneme processing and activation of lexical competitors . In Proceedings of the 7th international conference on spoken language processing (pp. 261 - 264 ).

2012 ). Increased lexical activation and reduced competition in second-language listening . Language and Cognitive Processes , 271 , 1205 - 1224 .

Broersma, M., & Cutler, A. ( 2011 ). Competition dynamics of second-language listening . The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , 641 , 74 - 95 .

Cutler, A., Weber, A., & Otake, T. ( 2006 ). Asymmetric mapping from phonetic to lexical representations in second-language listening . Journal of Phonetics , 341 , 269 - 284 .

Darcy, I., Dekydtspotter, L., Sprouse, R. A., Glover, J., Kaden, C., McGuire, M., & Scott, J. H. G. ( 2012 ). Direct mapping of acoustics to phonology: On the lexical encoding of front rounded vowels in L1 English-L2 French acquisition . Second Language Research , 281 , 5 - 40 .

Dijkstra, A. & Van Heuven, W. J. B. ( 1998 ). The BIA model and bilingual word recognition . In J. Grainger & A. M. Jacobs (Eds.) , Localist connectionist approaches to human cognition ( pp. 189 - 225 ). Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates .

Dupoux, E., Sebastián-Gallés, N., Navarrete, E., & Peperkamp, S. ( 2008 ). Persistent stress 'deafness': The case of French learners of Spanish . Cognition , 1061 , 682 - 706 .

Escudero, P., Hayes-Harb, R., & Mitterer, H. ( 2008 ). Novel second-language words and asymmetric lexical access . Journal of Phonetics , 361 , 345 - 360 .

Forster, K. I., & Chambers, S. M. ( 1973 ). Lexical access and naming time . Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior , 121 , 627 - 635 .

Forster, K. I., & Forster, J. C. ( 2003 ). DMDX: A windows display program with millisecond accuracy . Behavior Research Methods Instruments and Computers , 351 , 116 - 124 .

Frauenfelder, U. H., Scholten, M., & Content, A. ( 2001 ). Bottom-up inhibition in lexical selection: Phonological mismatch effects in spoken word recognition . Language and cognitive processes , 161 , 583 - 607 .

Gaskell, M. G., & Marslen-Wilson, W. D. ( 2001 ). Lexical ambiguity resolution and spoken word recognition: Bridging the gap . Journal of Memory and Language , 441 , 325 - 349 .

Han, M. ( 1992 ). The timing control of geminate and single stop consonants in Japanese: A challenge for non-native speakers . Phonetica , 491 , 102 - 127 .

Hardison, D. M., & Motohashi Saigo, M. ( 2010 ). Development of perception of second language Japanese geminates: Role of duration, sonority, and segmentation strategy . Applied Psycholinguistics , 311 , 81 - 99 .

Hayes-Harb, R., & Masuda, K. ( 2008 ). Development of the ability to lexically encode novel second language phonemic contrasts . Second Language Research , 241 , 5 - 33 .

Jared, D., & Szucs, C. ( 2002 ). Phonological activation in bilinguals: Evidence from interlingual homograph naming . Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , 51 , 225 - 239 .

Ju, M., & Luce, P. A. ( 2004 ). Falling on sensitive ears: Constraints on bilingual lexical activation . Psychological Science , 151 , 314 - 318 .

2006 ). Representational specificity of within-category phonetic variation in the long-term mental lexicon . Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance , 321 , 120 - 138 .

Marian, V., & Spivey, M. J. ( 2003 ). Competing activation in bilingual language processing: Within- and between-language competition. Bilingualism : Language and Cognition , 61 , 97 - 115 .

Marslen-Wilson, W. D. ( 1987 ). Functional parallelism in spoken word-recognition . Cognition , 251 , 71 - 102 .

McMurray, B., Tanenhaus, M. K., & Aslin, R. N. ( 2002 ). Gradient effects of within-category phonetic variation on lexical access . Cognition , 861 , B33 - B42 .

Ota, M., Hartsuiker, R. J., & Haywood, S. L. ( 2009 ). The KEY to the ROCK: Near-homophony in nonnative visual word recognition . Cognition , 1111 , 263 - 269 .

Pallier, C., Bosch, L., & Sebastián-Gallés, N. ( 1997 ). A limit on behavioral plasticity in speech perception . Cognition , 641 , B9 - B17 .

Pallier, C., Colomé, A., & Sebastián-Gallés, N. ( 2001 ). The influence of native-language phonology on lexical access: exemplar-based versus abstract lexical entries . Psychological Science , 121 , 445 - 449 .

Polka, L. ( 1995 ). Linguistic influences in adult perception of non-native vowel contrasts . Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , 971 , 1286 - 1296 .

Sebastian-Gallés, N. ( 2005 ). Cross-Language Speech Perception . In D. B. Pisoni & R. E. Remez (Eds.) , The Handbook of Speech Perception ( pp. 546 - 566 ). Malden, MA : Blackwell Publishing .

Sebastián-Gallés, N., Echeverría, S., & Bosch, L. ( 2005 ). The influence of initial exposure on lexical representation: Comparing early and simultaneous bilinguals . Journal of Memory and Language , 521 , 240 - 255 .

Sebastián-Gallés, N., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., de Diego-Balaguer, R., & Díaz, B. ( 2006 ). First- and second-language phonological representations in the Mental Lexicon . Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience , 181 , 1277 - 1291 .

Spivey, M. J., & Marian, V. ( 1999 ). Cross talk between native and second languages: Partial activation of an irrelevant lexicon . Psychological Science , 101 , 281 - 284 .

Strange, W., & Shafer, V. ( 2008 ). Speech perception in second language learners. The re-education of selective perception . In J. G. Hansen Edwards & M. L. Zampini (Eds.) , Phonology and Second Language Acquisition ( pp. 153 - 191 ). Amsterdam : John Benjamins .

Strange, W., Weber, A., Levy, E., Shafiro, V., Hisagi, M., & Nishi, K. ( 2007 ). Acoustic variability within and across German, French, and American English vowels: Phonetic context effects . The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , 1221 , 1111 - 1129 .

Sumner, M., & Samuel, A. G. ( 2009 ). The effect of experience on the perception and representation of dialect variants . Journal of Memory and Language , 601 , 487 - 501 .

Tajima, K., Kato, H., Rothwell, A., Akahane-Yamada, R., & Munhall, K. G. ( 2008 ). Training English listeners to perceive phonemic length contrasts in Japanese . Journal of Acoustical Society of America , 1231 , 397 - 413 .

Trofimovich, P., & John, P. ( 2011 ). When three equals tree . In P. Trofimovich & K. McDonough (Eds.) , Applying priming methods to L2 learning, teaching and research: Insights from Psycholinguistics ( pp. 105 - 129 ). Amsterdam : John Benjamins .

Weber, A., & Cutler, A. ( 2004 ). Lexical competition in non-native spoken-word recognition . Journal of Memory and Language , 501 , 1 - 25 .

Cited by (68)

Cited by 68 other publications

Order by:

Chapuis, Nathalie Dherbey & Raphaël Berthele

2024. Teaching methods emphasizing phonological forms enhance L2 vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research

Grigaliūnaitė, Justina & Gerda Ana Melnik-Leroy

2024. Automatic Accent Identification Using Less Data: a Shift from Global to Segmental Accent. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering

Hao, Yen-Chen

2024. Phonolexical processing of Mandarin segments and tones by English speakers at different Mandarin proficiency levels. Second Language Research 40:3 ► pp. 533 ff.

Hayes-Harb, Rachel & Shannon Barrios

2024. The interacting effects of talker, contrast, and listener variability in cross-language speech perception. JASA Express Letters 4:8

Laméris, Tim Joris, Miquel Llompart & Brechtje Post

2024. Non-native tone categorization and word learning across a spectrum of L1 tonal statuses. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 27:4 ► pp. 729 ff.

Zheng, Qi & Kira Gor

2024. The Influence of Native Phonology, Allophony, and Phonotactics on Nonnative Lexical Encoding: A Vocabulary Training Study. Language Learning 74:1 ► pp. 146 ff.

Zhou, Chao & Silke Hamann

2024. Modelling the acquisition of the Portuguese tap by L1-Mandarin learners: A BiPhon-HG account for individual differences, syllable-position effects and orthographic influences in L2 speech. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics 9:1

Zhou, Chao & Anabela Rato

2024. Syllable position effects in the perception of L2 Portuguese /l/ and /ɾ/ by L1-Mandarin learners. Second Language Research 40:2 ► pp. 351 ff.

Daidone, Danielle, Ryan Lidster & Franziska Kruger

2023. Free classification as a method for investigating the perception of nonnative sounds. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 45:4 ► pp. 1104 ff.

Farrell, Victoria & Danielle Daidone

2023. Effects of orthography and cognate status on second language Spanish lexical encoding. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 9:2 ► pp. 167 ff.

Galimberti, Valeria, Joan C. Mora & Roger Gilabert

2023. Audio-synchronized textual enhancement in foreign language pronunciation learning from videos. System 116 ► pp. 103078 ff.

John, Paul & Simon Rigoulot

2023. On the representation of /h/ by Quebec francophone learners of English. Frontiers in Language Sciences 2

Soo, Rachel & Molly Babel

2023. Perceptual effects of lexical competition on Cantonese tone categories. Laboratory Phonology 14:1

Soo, Rachel, Fion Fung & Molly Babel

2023. Quantitative, not qualitative, differences in word classification errors as a function of language dominance. JASA Express Letters 3:11

Suite, Lexia, Galia Freiwirth & Molly Babel

2023. Receptive vocabulary predicts multilinguals' recognition skills in adverse listening conditions. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 154:6 ► pp. 3916 ff.

Suárez-Coalla, Paz, Luis Castejón, Marina Vega-Harwood & Cristina Martínez-García

2023. English reading performance by Spanish speaking children: A phonologically or semantically mediated pathway?. Reading and Writing

Tsukada, Kimiko & John Hajek

2023. Cross-language perception of Japanese consonant length by speakers from Italian- and Mandarin-speaking backgrounds. Second Language Research 39:3 ► pp. 925 ff.

Bordag, Denisa, Kira Gor & Andreas Opitz

2022. Ontogenesis Model of the L2 Lexical Representation. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 25:2 ► pp. 185 ff.

Bordag, Denisa & Andreas Opitz

2022. Employing General Linguistic Knowledge in Incidental Acquisition of Grammatical Properties of New L1 and L2 Lexical Representations: Toward Reducing Fuzziness in the Initial Ontogenetic Stage. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Bouffier, Marion, Martine Poncelet & Steve Majerus

2022. The linguistic constraints of precision of verbal working memory. Memory & Cognition 50:7 ► pp. 1464 ff.

Cornut, Camille, Gwendoline Mahé & Séverine Casalis

2022. L2 word recognition in French–English late bilinguals: Does modality matter?. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 25:1 ► pp. 121 ff.

Escudero, Paola & Rachel Hayes-Harb

2022. The Ontogenesis Model may provide a useful guiding framework, but lacks explanatory power for the nature and development of L2 lexical representation. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 25:2 ► pp. 212 ff.

Han, Jeong-Im & Song Yi Kim

2022. Orthographic activation in spoken word recognition of L2 phonological variants. Second Language Research 38:3 ► pp. 671 ff.

John, Paul & Johannes Frasnelli

2022. On the lexical source of variable L2 phoneme production. The Mental Lexicon 17:2 ► pp. 239 ff.

Kalaivanan, Kastoori, Firqin Sumartono & Ying-Ying Tan

2022. influence of age of acquisition, language proficiency and language use on Singapore English consonant perception. Journal of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech 4:1

Mora, Joan C., Mireia Ortega, Ingrid Mora-Plaza & Cristina Aliaga-García

2022. Training the pronunciation of L2 vowels under different conditions: the use of non-lexical materials and masking noise. Phonetica 79:1 ► pp. 1 ff.

Welby, Pauline, Elsa Spinelli & Audrey Bürki

2022. Spelling provides a precise (but sometimes misplaced) phonological target. Orthography and acoustic variability in second language word learning. Journal of Phonetics 94 ► pp. 101172 ff.

Barrios, Shannon & Rachel Hayes-Harb

2021. L2 Processing of Words Containing English /æ/-/ɛ/ and /l/-/ɹ/ Contrasts, and the Uses and Limits of the Auditory Lexical Decision Task for Understanding the Locus of Difficulty. Frontiers in Communication 6

Daidone, Danielle & Isabelle Darcy

2021. Vocabulary Size Is a Key Factor in Predicting Second Language Lexical Encoding Accuracy. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Dong, Zhiyin Renee

2021. Tone and vocabulary learning for classroom-based L2 Mandarin learners. Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報). The journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA 56:3 ► pp. 179 ff.

Gor, Kira, Svetlana Cook, Denisa Bordag, Anna Chrabaszcz & Andreas Opitz

2021. Fuzzy Lexical Representations in Adult Second Language Speakers. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Han, Jeong-Im, Joo-Yeon Kim & Tae-Hwan Choi

2021. The Role of Orthography in Lexical Processing of the Phonological Variants in Second Language. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 50:2 ► pp. 437 ff.

Kapnoula, Efthymia C.

2021. On the Locus of L2 Lexical Fuzziness: Insights From L1 Spoken Word Recognition and Novel Word Learning. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Llompart, Miquel

2021. Lexical and Phonetic Influences on the Phonolexical Encoding of Difficult Second-Language Contrasts: Insights From Nonword Rejection. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Llompart, Miquel

2021. Phonetic categorization ability and vocabulary size contribute to the encoding of difficult second-language phonological contrasts into the lexicon. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 24:3 ► pp. 481 ff.

Llompart, Miquel

2024. Lexically-guided perceptual recalibration from acoustically unambiguous input in second language learners. Journal of Phonetics 107 ► pp. 101366 ff.

Michelas, Amandine & Sophie Dufour

2021. When native contrasts are perceived as non-native: the role of the ear of presentation in the discrimination of accentual contrasts. Journal of Cognitive Psychology 33:2 ► pp. 187 ff.

Ortega, Mireia, Ingrid Mora Plaza & Joan C. Mora

2021. Chapter 14. Differential effects of lexical and non-lexical high-variability phonetic training on the production of L2 vowels. In English Pronunciation Instruction [AILA Applied Linguistics Series, 19], ► pp. 328 ff.

Pelzl, Eric, Ellen F. Lau, Taomei Guo & Robert M. DeKeyser

2021. Advanced Second Language Learners of Mandarin Show Persistent Deficits for Lexical Tone Encoding in Picture-to-Word Form Matching. Frontiers in Communication 6

Shea, Christine E.

2021. Commentary: L2 Phonology: Where Theory, Data, and Methods Meet. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Han, Jeong-Im & Kimiko Tsukada

2020. Lexical representation of Mandarin tones by non-tonal second-language learners. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 148:1 ► pp. EL46 ff.

Nimz, Katharina & Ghada Khattab

2020. On the role of orthography in L2 vowel production: The case of Polish learners of German. Second Language Research 36:4 ► pp. 623 ff.

Reinisch, Eva, Katharina I. Juhl & Miquel Llompart

2020. The Impact of Free Allophonic Variation on the Perception of Second Language Phonological Categories. Frontiers in Communication 5

Tyler, Michael D.

2020. Perceived Phonological Overlap in Second-Language Categories: The Acquisition of English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese Native Listeners. Languages 6:1 ► pp. 4 ff.

DARCY, ISABELLE & TRISHA THOMAS

2019. When blue is a disyllabic word: Perceptual epenthesis in the mental lexicon of second language learners. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 22:5 ► pp. 1141 ff.

Eger, Nikola Anna & Eva Reinisch

2019. THE ROLE OF ACOUSTIC CUES AND LISTENER PROFICIENCY IN THE PERCEPTION OF ACCENT IN NONNATIVE SOUNDS. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41:1 ► pp. 179 ff.

Llompart, Miquel & Eva Reinisch

2019. Imitation in a Second Language Relies on Phonological Categories but Does Not Reflect the Productive Usage of Difficult Sound Contrasts. Language and Speech 62:3 ► pp. 594 ff.

LLOMPART, MIQUEL & EVA REINISCH

2019. Robustness of phonolexical representations relates to phonetic flexibility for difficult second language sound contrasts. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 22:5 ► pp. 1085 ff.

Llompart, Miquel & Eva Reinisch

2021. Lexical representations can rapidly be updated in the early stages of second-language word learning. Journal of Phonetics 88 ► pp. 101080 ff.

Melnik, Gerda Ana & Sharon Peperkamp

2019. Perceptual deletion and asymmetric lexical access in second language learners. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 145:1 ► pp. EL13 ff.

Pelzl, Eric, Ellen F. Lau, Taomei Guo & Robert DeKeyser

2019. ADVANCED SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION OF LEXICAL TONE CONTRASTS. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41:1 ► pp. 59 ff.

Pelzl, Eric, Ellen F. Lau, Taomei Guo & Robert DeKeyser

2021. EVEN IN THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO L2 LEARNERS HAVE PERSISTENT DIFFICULTY PERCEIVING AND UTILIZING TONES IN MANDARIN. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 43:2 ► pp. 268 ff.

Reinisch, Eva & Joshua Penney

2019. The role of vowel length and glottalization in German learners’ perception of the English coda stop voicing contrast. Laboratory Phonology: Journal of the Association for Laboratory Phonology 10:1

Rothgerber, John

2019. The Causes of Learner Pronunciation Problems in English. In Applied Linguistics for Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners [Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies, ], ► pp. 361 ff.

Rothgerber, John

2022. The Causes of Learner Pronunciation Problems in English. In Research Anthology on Applied Linguistics and Language Practices, ► pp. 1495 ff.

van de Ven, Marco, Eliane Segers & Ludo Verhoeven

2019. Enhanced Second Language Vocabulary Learning Through Phonological Specificity Training in Adolescents. Language Learning 69:1 ► pp. 222 ff.

GOR, KIRA

2018. Phonological priming and the role of phonology in nonnative word recognition. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 21:3 ► pp. 437 ff.

Han, Jeong-Im & Sujin Oh

2018. The Role of Phonetic Similarity and Orthographic Information in Asymmetrical Lexical Encoding in Second Language. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 47:5 ► pp. 1015 ff.

Ramírez, Marta & Miquel Simonet

2018. Language dominance and the perception of the Majorcan Catalan /ʎ/−/ʒ/ contrast: Asymmetrical phonological representations. International Journal of Bilingualism 22:6 ► pp. 638 ff.

Shea, Christine

2018. Introduction to the Special Issue: Learning to Listen from Sounds to Words. Language and Speech 61:4 ► pp. 515 ff.

Shea, Christine

2021. Spanish speakers’ English schwar production: Does orthography play a role?. Applied Psycholinguistics 42:6 ► pp. 1377 ff.

Simonchyk, Ala & Isabelle Darcy

2018. The Effect of Orthography on the Lexical Encoding of Palatalized Consonants in L2 Russian. Language and Speech 61:4 ► pp. 522 ff.

Simonchyk, Ala & Isabelle Darcy

2023. Development of production skills in the absence of precise phonolexical representations. Second Language Research 39:3 ► pp. 623 ff.

VEIVO, OUTI, VINCENT PORRETTA, JUKKA HYÖNÄ & JUHANI JÄRVIKIVI

2018. Spoken second language words activate native language orthographic information in late second language learners. Applied Psycholinguistics 39:5 ► pp. 1011 ff.

CHRABASZCZ, ANNA & KIRA GOR

2017. Quantifying contextual effects in second language processing of phonolexically ambiguous and unambiguous words. Applied Psycholinguistics 38:4 ► pp. 909 ff.

Han, Jeong-Im, Moongee Jeon & Sujin Oh

2017. Examining the Temporal Development of Phonetic and Lexical Learning in Second Language. Psychological Reports 120:5 ► pp. 785 ff.

Amengual, Mark

2016. Cross-Linguistic Influence in the Bilingual Mental Lexicon: Evidence of Cognate Effects in the Phonetic Production and Processing of a Vowel Contrast. Frontiers in Psychology 7

Han, Jeong-Im

2015. Processing of allophonic variants from optional vs. obligatory phonological processes. Phonetics and Speech Sciences 7:3 ► pp. 27 ff.

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 25 october 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.