title: Language and culture modulate online semantic processing.
abstract: Language has been shown to influence non-linguistic cognitive operations such as colour perception, object categorization and motion event perception. Here, we show that language also modulates higher level processing, such as semantic knowledge. Using event-related brain potentials, we show that highly fluent Welsh-English bilinguals require significantly less processing effort when reading sentences in Welsh which contain factually correct information about Wales, than when reading sentences containing the same information presented in English. Crucially, culturally irrelevant information was processed similarly in both Welsh and English. Our findings show that even in highly proficient bilinguals, language interacts with factors associated with personal identity, such as culture, to modulate online semantic processing.
authors.affiliation: Bangor University, LL58 2AS Bangor, UK.
authors.forename: Ceri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: University of Stirling, FK9 4LA Stirling, UK, and.
authors.forename: Jan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kuipers
authors.affiliation: Bangor University, LL58 2AS Bangor, UK.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thierry
authors.affiliation: Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lovett
authors.affiliation: Bangor University, LL58 2AS Bangor, UK.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Turnbull
authors.affiliation: Bangor University, LL58 2AS Bangor, UK, manon.jones@bangor.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Manon W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004739:England; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D013067:Speech Perception; D014852:Wales; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: bilingualism; culture; linguistic relativity; semantics