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Abstract:
The representation and processing of the information in the
case of bilinguals is a controversial subject among
psycholinguists: According to some researchers bilinguals have
cognitive subsystems linked to their known languages, which
include the memory stores, as well, but they are functionally
independent from each other (this is the independence position or
dual code model). On the other hand, the interdependence positon
or single code model maintains that bilinguals represent words in
a supralinguistic code, possibly based on the meanings of the
words, that is independent of the language in which the words
occurred. According to the developmental hypothesis, second
language learners start only with lexical associations, but
gradually develop direct links between the second language
lexicon and concepts. The aims of my study were: (1) to measure
performance patterns, which are usually taken to reflect one or
the other model, in one experiment, using different retrieval
tasks under identical encoding conditions; (2) to examine the
developmental hypothesis by using less fluent and more fluent
trilinguals. The subjects of my study were
Hungarian-Romanian-English trilinguals, divided into two groups.
According to my hypothesis, in the case of the less fluent
speakers of English, a mostly data-driven task such as word
fragment completion would depend on the matching of language at
study and test, thus supporting the dual code theory. However, my
results showed that in the case of this task both the data-driven
and conceptually-driven processing is present: not only the
language of study was important, but the increasing elaborative
processing during study, as well. The results of the free recall
task, as predicted, revealed evidence for interdependence
effects. Finally, the recognition task showed again the
combination of the two kind of processing: data-driven and
conceptually-driven processing. The more fluent subjects, in
turn, could face all the conditions and all the tasks almost
equally well, suggesting that they mediate their languages
entirely conceptually. In sum, we can tell that in the mind of
the multilingual words are organized on the basis of meaning, not
language. At a very early stage of language acquisition, however,
language specific cues intrude, even when subjects are
concentrating upon meaning. My general conclusion is that the
most useful research paradigm would be a transfer appropriate
approach, according to which the performance on the retention
tasks benefit to the extent to which procedures demanded by the
task repeat those employed during encoding.
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processing in a nonnative language.
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Kroll, J.F. and Curley, J. (1988). Lexical memory in novice
bilinguals: The role of concepts in retrieving second language
words. In M. Gruneberg, P. Morris, and R.Sykes (Eds.):
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(Vol. 2, pp. 389-395). London: John Wiley and Sons.
De Groot, A. M. B., Dannenburg, L., and Van Hell, J. G. (1994).
Forward and backward word translation.
Journal of Memory and Language,
33, 600-629.
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