Bilingual language processing: Interactions between lexical retrieval and vowel production

What is the relationship between lexical retrieval and phonetic production in bilingual language processing? Various factors related to bilingual language processing affect bilingual's selection of context-appropriate words and speech sounds. One factor is whether bilinguals are using one (single context) or both (mixed context) languages. Increased language selection difficulty in mixed contexts (especially when the previous word is in a different language than the target word; i.e., switch context) slow down retrieval and increase accentedness. Another factor is whether a word has two highly distinct forms (non-cognates) or highly similar forms (cognates) for a concept in both languages. Increased cross language activation for cognates facilitate retrieval, but increase accentedness. In this project, 18 Spanish-English bilinguals named pictures of cognate and non-cognate words in single and mixed contexts in Spanish and English. Reaction time and vowel formants were analyzed. Results show that there are cognate facilitation effects, mixing, and switching costs for retrieval, but only consistent mixing costs for accentedness. The dissociation between these effects during lexical retrieval and phonetic production suggests continuing interactions between them after the initiation of the response.