三语者语义通达中的跨语言重复启动效应

采用跨语言重复启动的任务范式探讨三语者的语义通达机制。被试为在广州学习汉语的印度尼西亚留学生48名。自变量是学习条件(包括学过与未学过), 因变量是单词判断的反应时和正确率。实验1探讨三语者在视觉与听觉呈现的三语词汇语义通达任务中是否会借助于一语对等词, 结果发现一语词汇在两种任务条件下都能够发挥中介作用, 此结果表明了三语者与双语者语义通达机制的一致性; 实验2探讨三语者在视觉与听觉呈现的三语词汇语义通达任务中是否会借助于二语对等词, 结果发现二语词汇只能在视觉呈现任务条件下发挥中介作用, 此结果表明二语词汇在三语语义通达过程中的中介作用具有限制性。本研究结果表明三语者的语义通达机制与双语者既有一致性, 也有其限制性。

Cross-language repetition priming effect of semantic access for trilinguals

In recent years, how to relate the lexical representation and conceptual representation of third language words what were studied newly of trilinguals, namely the semantic access of trilinguals, has raised great attention among researchers. Existing studies show that in the processing of achieving the task of word recognition, all the three languages of the trilinguals will be activated. Therefore, when acquiring the third language, the existing conceptual representation systems of the first and second languages of learners may become a potential source of influence or disturbance for learning. For this reason, the semantic access of trilinguals is the key issue to be studied. The present study discusses the semantic access mechanism of trilinguals using the task of cross-language repetition priming. The participants are 48 international students from Indonesia who are studying Chinese in Guangzhou. The independent variable is learning conditions (learned, never learned), the dependent variables are the reaction time and accuracy of word judgment. Experiment 1 discusses whether the equivalent words in first language will play a role as intermediary language in the semantic access of third language words presented visually and aurally; Experiment 2 discusses whether the trilinguals will resort to equivalent word in second language in the semantic access of third language vocabulary presented visually and aurally. The result of Experiment 1 shows that first language words plays a role as intermediary language in both the visual understanding and aural understanding of third language words, and this role is not restricted by visual channel or aural channel. The result of Experiment 2 shows that in the semantic task of visual presentation, the word of second language will play a role as intermediary language in the semantic access of third language; however in the semantic task of aural presentation, the equivalent words of second language don’t have the function of intermediary. In conclusion, the words of first language play a role as intermediary in the semantic access of third language, however the words of second language have a limited intermediary function in the semantic access. The result of this study shows the semantic access mechanism of a trilinguals is complicated in a totally different way comparing with that of a bilingual.