Neural tuning for Chinese characters in adult Chinese L2 learners: evidence from an ERP study

Bingbing Song; Xin Jiang; Urs Maurer; Su Li

Neural tuning for Chinese characters in adult Chinese L2 learners: evidence from an ERP study

Bingbing Song ^[1] ; Xin Jiang ^[2] ; Urs Maurer ^[3] ; Su Li ^[4]
1. [1] Chinese University of Hong Kong
  
  Chinese University of Hong Kong
  
  RAE de Hong Kong (China)
2. [2] Beijing Language and Culture University
  
  Beijing Language and Culture University
  
  China
3. [3] The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
4. [4] Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
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Localización: Bilingualism: Language and cognition, ISSN 1366-7289, Vol. 28, Nº 2, 2025, págs. 286-299
Idioma: inglés
DOI: 10.1017/S1366728924000403
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Resumen
- Neural tuning for visual words is essential for fluent reading across various scripts. This study investigated the emergence and development of N170 tuning for Chinese characters and its cognitive–linguistic correlates. Electroencephalogram data from 48 adult L2 learners and 23 native Chinese readers were collected using a color detection task. The N170 for real characters, pseudo-characters, false characters, stroke combinations and line drawings were recorded. We found beginner adult L2 learners showed larger N170 Chinese characters compared to stroke combinations (coarse neural tuning). The intermediate-level L2 Chinese learners demonstrated fine-tuning for Chinese orthographic regularities. Importantly, a clear shift from bilateral to left-lateralized coarse and fine-tuning for print was observed from beginner to intermediate L2 learners as their Chinese reading experience increased. Moreover, individual differences in neural print tuning moderately correlated with word-reading fluency, Chinese vocabulary knowledge and morphological awareness.
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