Electrophysiological Correlates of Second-Language Acquisition: From Words to Sentences

The chapter examines the impact of experience-dependent factors (cross-linguistic similarities between the first and second languages, age of acquisition, proficiency, and quality of language exposure) on second-language phonological, semantic, and syntactic processing. Event-related potential (ERP) studies on second-language analysis are examined and summarized for each level of sentence analysis and each experiential factor. The overview provided here points to a largely qualitative distinction between experience-dependent effects observed in phonology/syntax and those reported in semantics, with experience having a stronger impact on the first two domains. The chapter also highlights novel research directions to be pursued and invites to reflection on methodological choices made in bilingual research literature.