Cross-script L2-L1 noncognate translation priming in lexical decision depends on L2 proficiency: Evidence from Japanese–English bilinguals

• Published in: Bilingualism (Cambridge, England) England), 2016-11, Vol.19 (5), p.1001-1022
• Main Authors: NAKAYAMA, MARIKO, IDA, KEISUKE, LUPKER, STEPHEN J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bilingualism; English proficiency; Experimental psychology; Experiments; Japanese language; Language; Language Proficiency; Lexical access; Lexical decision task; Mental lexicon; Phonology; Priming; Second Language Learning; Semantics; Translation; Word Recognition
• ISSN: 1366-7289; 1469-1841
• DOI: 10.1017/S1366728915000462

Previous research with unbalanced, different-script bilinguals has typically produced null L2-L1 noncognate masked translation priming effects in lexical decision tasks (LDT). Two novel models of the bilingual mental lexicon have emerged to account for these null results: the episodic L2 hypothesis and the Sense model. In contrast, the BIA+ model predicts significant priming whenever bilinguals are sufficiently proficient in L2. Using Japanese–English bilinguals, the role of L2 proficiency in L2-L1 noncognate translation priming in an LDT was examined. In Experiments 1 and 2, significant priming effects were observed for highly proficient bilinguals. In contrast, in Experiment 3, less-proficient bilinguals produced a null priming effect. This pattern demonstrates that L2-L1 priming effects do arise in an LDT and those effects are modulated by L2 proficiency, consistent with the BIA+ model's expectations. The pattern can be also explained by the episodic L2 hypothesis, provided that certain modifications are made to its assumptions.