The Age of Acquisition Irregular Past Tense Verbs in Bilinguals: A Neuroimaging Study

Bilingualism is a complex phenomenon that has been extensively studied in various linguistic and cognitive domains. One important aspect of bilingual language processing is the acquisition of past tense irregular verbs, which can be challenging for both native and non-native speakers. The age of acquisition (AoA) of a second language (L2) is believed to play a crucial role in shaping L2 neural representation, with late learners exhibiting different patterns of brain activation compared to early learners.

Recent neuroimaging studies have shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying past tense verb processing in bilinguals. For instance, research has shown that late high proficiency (LAHP) bilinguals tend to activate a broader network of regions, including the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG BA47), when processing irregular inflection, whereas early high proficiency (EAHP) bilinguals engage this region selectively for regular but not irregular inflection.

The present study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of past tense verb processing in LAHP and EAHP bilinguals. Thirty-five participants with varying levels of L2 proficiency and AoA were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing an English (L2) past tense task. The results showed that LAHP bilinguals activated the IFG BA47 during both regular and irregular inflection, whereas EAHP bilinguals engaged this region selectively for regular inflection.

These findings suggest that AoA is an important factor in shaping L2 neural representation, with late learners exhibiting a more extensive network of brain regions involved in past tense verb processing. The present study highlights the need to carefully control for both proficiency and AoA when examining L2 neural representation, as these variables are potential confounds of each other.

The Age of Acquisition Irregular Past Tense Verbs in Bilinguals: A Neuroimaging Study was a collaboration between researchers from various institutions, including the School of Human and Life Sciences at Canterbury Christ Church University, the Division of Neurology at National University Hospital, Singapore, and the Functional Brain Imaging Lab at A*STAR-NUS Clinical Imaging Research Centre.

By examining the neural mechanisms underlying past tense verb processing in bilinguals, this study provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between language proficiency, AoA, and brain function. Future research can build on these findings to further explore the relationships between L2 proficiency, AoA, and neural representation in bilingual language processing.

Age of acquisition irregular past tense verbs