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A VIEW OF THE NEURAL REPRESENTATION OF SECOND LANGUAGE SYNTAX THROUGH ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE LEARNING UNDER IMPLICIT CONTEXTS OF EXPOSURE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2015

Kara Morgan-Short ,
ZhiZhou Deng ,
Katherine A. Brill-Schuetz ,
Mandy Faretta-Stutenberg ,
Patrick C. M. Wong  and
Francis C. K. Wong
Kara Morgan-Short*
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Chicago
ZhiZhou Deng
Affiliation:
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Katherine A. Brill-Schuetz
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Chicago
Mandy Faretta-Stutenberg
Affiliation:
Northern Illinois University
Patrick C. M. Wong
Affiliation:
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Northwestern University
Francis C. K. Wong
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kara Morgan-Short, 601 S. Morgan St., 1706 University Hall M/C 315, Chicago, IL 60607. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The current study aims to make an initial neuroimaging contribution to central implicit-explicit issues in second language (L2) acquisition by considering how implicit and explicit contexts mediate the neural representation of L2. Focusing on implicit contexts, the study employs a longitudinal design to examine the neural representation of L2 syntax and also considers how the neural circuits underlying L2 syntax vary among learners who exhibit different levels of performance on linguistic and cognitive tasks. Results suggest that when exposed to a L2 under an implicit context, some learners are able to quickly rely on neural circuits associated with first language grammar and procedural memory, whereas other learners increasingly use extralinguistic neural circuits related to control mechanisms to process syntax. Thus, there may be multiple ways in which L2 is represented neurally, at least when learned under implicit contexts.

Type
Articles
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 37 , Special Issue 2: New Directions in the Study of Implicit and Explicit Learning , June 2015 , pp. 383 - 419
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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References

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