2025/10/13 by Zhaohong Wu, Melinda Fricke · 1 voice
Psychology · Neuroscience · #Second Language Acquisition and Learning #Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism #Reading and Literacy Development
paper · doi:10.1017/s0272263125101368
openalex created_date 2025/10/13 · openalex publication_date 2025/10/13 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract This study presents a conceptual replication of Jacob et al.’s (2018) comparison of L2 early-stage processing of derived vs. inflected words. Previous studies on this issue focused predominantly on L2 learners from morphologically complex, alphabetic L1s, and generally showed L2 decompositional processing of derived but not inflected words. This replication study examined whether the previous claim for a qualitative difference in L2 early-stage processing of derived and inflected words could generalize to L2 English learners from a morphologically isolating, logographic L1, i.e., Chinese learners of L2 English. Results from a masked priming lexical decision task showed qualitatively the same magnitude of priming in the derivational, inflectional, and form control conditions for Chinese learners of English, suggesting reliance on surface form information in the early-stage processing of both derived and inflected words. Results of the current study add to the literature on L2 early-stage processing of derived vs. inflected words.