aalto1 untyped-item.component.html
Distinct production and neural activity of inflections in beginning L2 learners, advanced L2 learners and native speakers
Loading...
Access rights
openAccess
CC BY
CC BY
Creative Commons license
Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as openAccess
publishedVersion
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
This publication is imported from Aalto University research portal.
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Unless otherwise stated, all rights belong to the author. You may download, display and print this publication for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Date
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
19
Series
Journal of Neurolinguistics, Volume 78, pp. 1-19
Abstract
The extent to which adult second language (L2) learners can achieve native-like neural processing of complex inflectional morphology remains unresolved. This study used event-related fMRI to examine neural mechanisms underlying the potential gradual achievement of L1-like proficiency in adult learners of Finnish (L2) with Russian as their first language (L1). Three groups participated: late beginner learners (N = 15, mean exposure to Finnish 24.9 months), late advanced learners (N = 15, mean exposure to Finnish 131.8 months), and native Finnish speakers (N = 15). Participants completed overt and covert word generation tasks. In the overt task, they spoke an inflected word aloud; in the covert task, they silently generated a form and judged a visually presented form as correct or incorrect. Stimuli included high-, medium-frequency, and pseudoword stems, with or without consonant gradation (stem allomorphy). Beginners had significantly higher error rates in both tasks than advanced learners and native speakers, indicating challenges in morphological encoding and recognition. Advanced learners performed comparably to native speakers. Furthermore, only advanced learners and native speakers exhibited increased BOLD responses in the LIFG and MFG for stems requiring consonant gradation, suggesting a mechanism for the lexical lookup of stems. These findings indicate that proficient adult L2 learners can develop native-like neural patterns of morphological processing, particularly in handling complex inflectional forms. This research contributes to understanding the neural mechanisms underlying morphological development in adult L2 acquisition and underscores the critical role of proficiency in achieving native-like processing of morphological complexity.
Description
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors
Other note
Citation
Hedlund, L A, Wikman, P, Hut, S C A, Kujala, T & Leminen, A 2026, 'Distinct production and neural activity of inflections in beginning L2 learners, advanced L2 learners and native speakers', Journal of Neurolinguistics, vol. 78, 101319, pp. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneuroling.2026.101319