Línguist ∼ Linguístics: phonological alternations in L1 and L2 processing

All Germanic languages have borrowed heavily from Romance. In English, loanwords can display vowel and stress alternations across the base and derived word (divíne∼divínity), whilst in German only stress alternations occur (aktív∼Aktivitä́t “áctive∼actívity”). In a cross-modal ERP priming study, we investigated the impact of such alternations on word recognition in sequential bilinguals (L1 German, L2 English) and English monolinguals. Both groups showed significant priming effects in RT and ERP data; ERP waveforms were less negative (smaller N400) for experimental primes compared to control primes. This effect was strikingly similar across alternations for German L1 speakers. However, for the same group, vowel manipulations, which do not exist in German, result in increased processing costs in a later time-window (P600) compared to alternating stress. No such increased cost was evident for English L1 speakers. Our results show that the L1 phonological grammar continues to guide word processing in highly proficient L2 speakers.