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        <title>Frontiers in Language Sciences | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/language-sciences</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Frontiers in Language Sciences | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
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        <pubDate>2026-04-23T11:05:54.973+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1704202</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1704202</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A question of time?—Relations between temporal auditory processing abilities and literacy skills over the course of primary school and how they are mediated by phonological processing]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-22T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sindy Weise</author><author>Jens Knigge</author><author>Gerd Mannhaupt</author><author>Claudia Steinbrink</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The role of temporal auditory processing for literacy development is still under debate. Current temporal auditory processing theories and models assume that relations between temporal auditory processing and literacy are mediated by phonological processing. However, no previous study with unselected children has simultaneously considered temporal auditory processing abilities from different timescales when testing this mediation. Additionally, it remains unclear whether mediation via phonological processing becomes weaker with increasing literacy experience. In the cross-sectional study presented here, German school children from grades 1 to 4 (N = 277) completed tablet-based tasks measuring rapid auditory processing, rhythmic auditory processing and phonological processing. Alphabetic and orthographic literacy were assessed with reading and spelling tests. Data were analyzed separately for children with early (grade 1 and 2) vs. more advanced (grade 3 and 4) literacy experience using multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM). In early readers and spellers, phonological processing was found to mediate the relations between temporal auditory processing (both rapid and rhythmic) and alphabetic literacy. In more experienced readers and spellers, phonological processing was found to mediate the relationship between rapid auditory processing and orthographic literacy. Direct relations between rhythmic auditory processing and literacy were significant only in early readers and spellers. Direct relations between rapid auditory processing and literacy were found only in more experienced readers and spellers. Thus, the findings indicate that in early literacy development, both rapid and rhythmic auditory processing are linked to (alphabetic) literacy via their effect on phonological processing. These results support key assumptions of temporal auditory processing theories and developmental models. In early literacy development, rhythmic auditory processing—presumably affecting suprasegmental (prosodic) speech processing—appears particularly relevant for literacy. In later literacy development, rapid auditory processing—likely influencing segmental (phonemic) speech processing—shows a stronger connection with literacy, partly mediated by phonological processing.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1835215</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1835215</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Correction: From L2 acquisition to L1 restructuring: phonotactics in perception and production]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Correction</category>
        <author>Frontiers Production Office </author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1736089</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1736089</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Bound to be noticed? Opposing effects of boundedness on attention to morphemes in L2 reading]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Georgia Knell</author><author>Saioa Cipitria</author><author>Ludovic De Cuypere</author><author>Alex Housen</author><author>Esli Struys</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionSalience—the extent to which a feature stands out from its environment-has been posited as an important cognitive factor in second language (L2) acquisition. However, supporting empirical research remains scarce, particularly looking at specific effects of salience properties in isolation. For example, although morphological boundedness of a form has been theorized to impact its salience, to date no study has considered morphological boundedness individually as an independent variable in relation to linguistic salience.MethodsTo address this gap, the present study uses an English-based semi-artificial target language in an implicit, reading-based learning task that allows boundedness to be manipulated in isolation from other factors. This design makes it possible to compare the effects of boundedness on attention, awareness, and early-stage acquisition (intake) of L2 morphological forms. We further considered how boundedness interacts with another salience property: morpheme length. Finally, we considered the relationship between salience effects and certain external factors that might impact attention and awareness: learning condition (incidental versus intentional), and three individual learner variables (L2 proficiency, working memory capacity, and implicit learning ability). Eye-tracking measured attention to and intake of target forms, and retrospective interviews measured awareness.ResultsResults showed greater skipping rates of bound versus unbound morphemes, but also greater fixation durations for bound morphemes. Longer forms were skipped less and fixated longer than short forms regardless of boundedness. Individual learner variables had no moderating effect on either salience variable, while the intentional learning condition yielded longer fixations on the short morpheme specifically than the incidental condition. Attention results only partially correlated with awareness, and no evidence of intake was found.DiscussionWhile the attention results were as expected regarding length, the opposing results of attention measures regarding awareness show differences in effects of boundedness on initial versus prolonged attention. Overall, the results suggest that the relationship between salience, attention, awareness, and acquisition might be more complex than some theories posit.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1796274</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1796274</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Embodied experience of LIFE and DEATH across languages: perceptual and action-based norms]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-14T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Hassan Banaruee</author><author>Omid Khatin-Zadeh</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Understanding how highly abstract concepts are grounded in bodily experience remains a central challenge in embodied cognition and language research. This study investigates the embodied representation of the highly abstract concepts LIFE and DEATH across Persian, German, and English, combining a cross-linguistic sensorimotor norming approach with an analysis of socio-cognitive predictors of embodiment. Native speakers of the three languages rated LIFE and DEATH along 11 sensorimotor dimensions, including six perceptual modalities (visual, auditory, haptic, olfactory, gustatory, and interoceptive) and five action-based dimensions associated with specific body effectors (hand/arm, foot/leg, torso, mouth/throat, and head). The results reveal systematic cross-linguistic differences in the perceptual and bodily grounding of both concepts, with LIFE showing stronger and more consistent embodiment than DEATH across languages. Importantly, multivariate analyses demonstrate that embodiment patterns are not uniform but are significantly modulated by socio-cognitive variables. Language and nation emerged as the strongest predictors of embodiment, particularly for DEATH, while handedness, gender, and religion exerted more selective, domain-specific effects. In contrast, level of education did not reliably predict sensorimotor embodiment. Our findings are consistent with graded or weak embodiment frameworks, according to which abstract concepts are instantiated through flexible, culturally and bodily mediated simulations rather than fixed sensorimotor mappings. By integrating sensorimotor norms with socio-cognitive predictors, the study advances a more nuanced account of how body, language, and culture jointly shape the embodiment of the abstract concepts LIFE and DEATH.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1705688</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1705688</link>
        <title><![CDATA[How Vietnamese tackle Japanese kanji: key factors behind handwriting competence in Japanese]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-10T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Katsuo Tamaoka</author><author>Hoàng Thị Lan Phương</author><author>Jingyi Zhang</author><author>Jun'ichiro Kawahara</author><author>Rinus G. Verdonschot</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study explored kanji handwriting behavior of Vietnamese learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL), focusing on single-kanji words with Kun-readings to minimize phonological overlap between Japanese and Vietnamese. Participants completed a real-time handwriting task using a stylus and tablet. The study analyzed writing latency, duration, and accuracy, examining how these were influenced by lexical knowledge, kanji frequency, visual complexity, and difficulty level. Results showed that higher lexical proficiency and more frequent kanji led to faster initiation times. Writing duration increased with visual complexity, as kanji with more strokes took longer to execute. Accuracy decreased for complex and difficult kanji (e.g., N2 level), especially among lower proficiency learners. Notably, learners with stronger lexical knowledge could better compensate for complexity during writing. These findings highlight the distinct cognitive and motor demands of kanji production and underscore the value of combining vocabulary exposure with structured handwriting practice in JFL instruction.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1645235</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1645235</link>
        <title><![CDATA[She is playing with my car: an investigation of possessive structures in Norwegian-Italian simultaneous bilinguals]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-08T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Marta Velnić</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study investigates possessive pronoun placement in Norwegian-Italian bilingual children, focusing on the potential effects of cross-linguistic influence (CLI) and the impact of heritage language status. Both Norwegian and Italian allow prenominal and postnominal possessives, but their contextual distributions are inverse across the two languages. Twenty-four bilingual children residing in Norway completed an elicitation task in both languages designed to elicit neutral and contrastive contexts. The results show that while the children produced both possessive variants in Norwegian, their Italian responses were overwhelmingly prenominal. This suggests a simplification of the Italian heritage grammar, consistent with patterns observed in other heritage languages. Regarding CLI, a non-significant trend was observed: children who spoke only Italian in the home produced more prenominal possessives in contrastive contexts in Norwegian. This pattern points to a possible influence of Italian on Norwegian, particularly among children exposed only to Italian at home.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1760372</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1760372</link>
        <title><![CDATA[When gender meets number: facilitative processing of one vs. two features on Spanish definite articles]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-01T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Zuzanna Fuchs</author><author>Esra Eldem-Tunç</author><author>Linh Pham</author><author>Leo Mermelstein</author><author>Anna Runova</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Research on real-time language comprehension has shown that speakers of various language backgrounds can use a pre-nominal morphosyntactic cue to facilitate the lexical retrieval of an upcoming noun. The present study takes the next step in this domain, investigating facilitative processing when two morphosyntactic cues to the target noun are available: gender and number. We conduct an eye-tracking study using the Visual World Paradigm, and we compare baseline and heritage speakers to determine how language experience modulates the relative weighting of multiple cues. We find evidence of facilitative processing of plural articles for both groups, not only when both features are informative cues to the target, but also when only one of the features is informative. This suggests that listeners access each morphosyntactic feature independently, which is a particularly noteworthy finding for the heritage group, who have been argued not to do so in prior offline studies. However, we find that language experience impacts the relative weighting of the two cues. When gender and number are compatible with different competitors and are thus in direct conflict, baseline speakers shift more to gender competitors, whereas heritage speakers do not. Additionally, when each feature uniquely identifies the target, in some contexts baseline speakers may attend to only the gender feature, whereas heritage speakers may attend to only the number feature. Taken together, these results suggest that baseline speakers may weight abstract grammatical gender more strongly, while heritage speakers may rely more on the semantically salient feature.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1746588</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1746588</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Professional translators' use of CAT tools in Saudi Arabia: usability perceptions, realities and difficulties]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-31T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Muhammad M. M. Abdel Latif</author><author>Sami Sulaiman Alsalmi</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Though computer-assisted translation (CAT) has gained increasing popularity, profiling the realities of its uses is still under-explored in some contexts. This study investigated professional translators' perceptions and actual uses of CAT tools in Saudi Arabia, the translation text types they commonly use these applications with, their purposes for using them, and the challenges they encounter. The study also looked at the role of gender and work status (i.e., being an employee vs. a freelancer translator) in translators' CAT use. We collected quantitative and qualitative questionnaire data from 44 professional translators working in Saudi Arabia. The results showed the translators' high degree of dependence on CAT and frequent uses of multi-purpose or integrated CAT applications, simple machine translation programmes, and online dictionaries and specialized terminology databases. They reported that such uses vary depending on text types. Translators' work status rather than gender was found to influence some dimensions of their dependence on CAT; employee translators reported higher uses of CAT than freelancers. A number of purposes for using CAT were reported, including: translating specialized texts, verifying human translation accuracy, finding term meanings, ensuring terminological consistency, managing collaborative translation projects, and building glossaries. The translators also referred to some text-related challenges and gaps encountered when using CAT applications, and to their cautious use of AI programmes. The paper discusses these results and their implications to translator training.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1768590</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1768590</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Shifting expectations: when knowledge-based predictions and linguistic context collide]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Melissa Troyer</author><author>Kara D. Federmeier</author>
        <description><![CDATA[To cope with the demands of language comprehension, young adults often actively engage in prediction of upcoming information—which may be more or less successful depending on each individual's specific knowledge. However, limited research has directly investigated the link between existing knowledge and real-time mechanisms of prediction. Here, we focus on a specific knowledge domain, the fictional world of Harry Potter (HP). Participants with varying degrees of HP knowledge read sentences about general topics and then about HP, each containing a predictable, unexpected-but-plausible, or implausible critical word, while we recorded event-related brain potentials. As expected, HP knowledge modulated N400 amplitudes (an ERP known to index availability of word meaning) to predictable words in HP sentences. HP knowledge also modulated late frontal positivities (LFPs; associated with shifting meaning interpretation upon encountering prediction violations) to unexpected-but-plausible words. The extent to which domain knowledge modulated both N400s and LFPs to unexpected-but-plausible continuations depended on how generally well-known the content in the sentence was. High-knowledge individuals showed reduced initial facilitation (i.e., larger N400 amplitudes) for unexpected-but-plausible words when the sentence contents were generally well-known (compared to less well-known), suggesting that they used their domain knowledge to “override” a more generic interpretation. They additionally showed a greater frontal positivity when sentence contents were less (compared to more) well known, suggesting a willingness to consider alternate interpretations when knowledge is weaker and/or more uncertain—but less so when knowledge is strong. We conclude that possessing relevant knowledge may shape predictive processes during language comprehension, suggesting people may shift their “mode” of language processing depending on existing knowledge and comprehension demands.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1734306</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1734306</link>
        <title><![CDATA[ChatGPT-simulated sentence plausibility in event contexts, with teens, younger and older adults, in fiction and newspaper texts]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-19T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Pia Knoeferle</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the large language model (LLM) would produce simulations that are close enough to human-based world knowledge to serve as pilot data for human experimentation: LLMs are developing rapidly, and if they become sufficiently accurate databases of human world knowledge, this would open up interesting opportunities for empirical research; with their advent we may have the opportunity of accessing a comprehensive model of world knowledge. This claim was assessed by simulating human plausibility ratings and their variation depending on (i) the presence vs. absence of an event description, (ii) the age of LLM-simulated participants (Pilot 1, Pilot 2, and Experiment 1a), and (iii) LLM-simulated participant expectations of distinct text sources/genres (Experiment 1b). In four pilot studies and two main experiments, ChatGPT-4o/5 plausibility ratings were simulated from the graphical user interface using written prompts, factorial designs, Latin-square counterbalanced lists, and N = 200 simulated participants per between-participant factor level. In this way, an experiment setup much like that for in-laboratory experiments with human participants was simulated. As a baseline, plausibility ratings generated via the LLM chat interface were compared against human plausibility ratings reported in prior research. Overall, ChatGPT produced simulated ratings that, on average, were higher for plausible than implausible sentences, and were higher when an event description supported the event conveyed by the target sentence. The model also revealed fine-grained differences depending on simulated participant age, context-sentence relations, and genre. These results can be used to guide the formulation of testable hypotheses for future research with human participants.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1722519</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1722519</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Cross-linguistic phonetic differences affect lexical co-activation in second-language learners]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sophia Wulfert</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionWhen listening to speech in one language, bilinguals have been shown to activate word candidates from both their languages, which then compete for recognition. Similarity between the auditory input and the mental representations is a crucial factor for activation of a candidate. However, similarity is usually defined in terms of phoneme overlap, which might not be fine-grained enough to capture the reality of lexical co-activation and subsequent competition. The present study investigates how subphonemic differences between phonemically identical German–English word pairs influence their co-activation.MethodsIn a Lexical Decision (LD) experiment with cross-linguistic priming, L1-German learners of English heard an English prime word, followed by a written German target word or non-word and indicated whether the target was a German word or a non-word. Primes and targets showed either no phonemic overlap (Unrelated condition), partial overlap (Similar condition) or full phonemic overlap (Identical condition). In the critical Identical condition, English primes and German targets were phonemically identical—either cognates (e.g., /nεst/“nest”) or Interlingual Homophones (ILHs; e.g., /gɪft/, English “gift” /German “poison”)—but varied in their phonetic similarity due to phonetic differences between the languages.ResultsA comparison of reaction times (RTs) across all priming conditions revealed opposing effects for cognates and ILHs on the phonemic level: For cognate targets, there was facilitation the more phoneme overlap there was between prime and target, while ILH targets were subject to inhibition with more phoneme overlap between prime and target. A comparison of RTs to items of varying phonetic similarity within the Identical condition revealed similar facilitation effects for cognates and ILHs on the phonetic level: RTs to both decreased as a function of phonetic similarity between prime and target.DiscussionThese findings suggest differential roles of phonemic and phonetic similarity during the processes of (co-)activation and competition and complex interactions between levels. Implications for models of bilingual speech comprehension are discussed.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1753250</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1753250</link>
        <title><![CDATA[From metrics to meaning: large language models and the computational turn in embodied educational research]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-11T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Perspective</category>
        <author>Daniel Autenrieth</author><author>Nina Autenrieth</author><author>Danyal Farsani</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Educational science has long grappled with a methodological tension: quantitative metrics offer scale but often lack depth, while qualitative inquiry offers depth but is difficult to scale. Mixed-methods approaches have sought to address this tension by combining both paradigms, yet practical constraints of time, labor, and analytical capacity have typically limited how fully researchers can integrate interpretive depth with large-scale analysis. At the same time, theories of embodied cognition emphasize that learning, language, and communication are grounded in sensorimotor, affective, and socio-cultural experience rather than in abstract, amodal symbols. The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) and multimodal Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides new opportunities to bridge these methodological and theoretical developments. In this article, we conceptualize “Computational Hermeneutics” as the interpretation of meaning at scale, informed by embodied perspectives on cognition, language, and communication. We outline three computational methodologies applicable to educational research: Semantic Similarity Rating (SSR), AI-based Qualitative Content Analysis (AI-QCA), and Computational Ethnography via multimodal video analysis. We show how these approaches can operationalize embodied, hermeneutic processes, such as interpreting student reflections, tracing metaphorical embodiment, or analyzing classroom habitus, at a scale previously reserved for standardized testing. By detailing the theoretical basis, opportunities, and limitations of these methods, we argue for a “computational turn” in educational science and research that remains faithful to embodied, multimodal meaning-making while overcoming traditional scalability constraints.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2025.1738371</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2025.1738371</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Acquisition and attrition in bilingual vowel systems: evidence from Arabic and English]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-11T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Amirah Saud Alharbi</author><author>Lisa Kornder</author><author>Anouschka Foltz</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionThis study examined how long-term immersion in a second language (L2) affects the acquisition and maintenance of long vowels in bilinguals whose first language (L1) is Arabic or English. Focusing on Arabic /aː/, /iː/, /uː/ and English /ɑː/, /iː/, /uː/, the study investigated whether highly proficient late bilinguals produce nativelike vowels in both their L1 and L2, whether sound discrimination aptitude predicts vowel production accuracy, and to what extent L2 acquisition and L1 attrition are interrelated.MethodsVowel productions by highly proficient Arabic-English and English-Arabic late bilinguals were compared with those of monolingual control speakers. Productions were analyzed in terms of vowel height (F1) and vowel frontness (F2). Linear mixed-effects models and correlation analyses were used to assess group differences and relationships between L1 and L2 nativelikeness, as well as the contribution of sound discrimination aptitude.ResultsResults revealed vowel-specific and asymmetric patterns. Both bilingual groups produced nativelike /aː/–/ɑː/, reflecting successful L2 acquisition and stable L1 maintenance. In contrast, /iː/ and /uː/ showed cross-linguistic influences: Arabic /iː/ exhibited evidence of L1 attrition, while /uː/ displayed both non-native L2 realizations and modified L1 productions. A positive association between L2 and L1 nativelikeness emerged for /uː/, suggesting parallel proficiency across languages. Sound discrimination aptitude had little effect on vowel production accuracy.DiscussionOverall, the findings support dynamic models of bilingual speech production, such as the revised Speech Learning Model, by demonstrating that L1 and L2 vowel categories remain interdependent. The results highlight that both individual and contextual factors contribute to the phonetic stability and modification of bilingual speech, and that L2 acquisition and L1 maintenance can proceed in parallel for specific phonetic categories.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1757671</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1757671</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Navigating language learning through metalinguistic beliefs: a theoretical exploration informed by multilingual narratives]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Constanza Quinteros Ortiz</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This article reconceptualizes metalinguistic beliefs in multilingual learning by examining how they are constructed and mobilized in learners' narratives. Rather than treating self-reports as evidence of stable internal knowledge structures, the study approaches beliefs as discursively enacted interpretations that emerge through storytelling. Drawing on six multilingual life-story interviews conducted in Germany, the analysis combines narrative inquiry with reflexive thematic analysis to identify both the discursive mechanisms through which beliefs are expressed and their recurrent content across cases. The findings show that metalinguistic beliefs are constructed through epistemic positioning, modality, metaphor, and narrative sequencing. Three recurring domains were identified: beliefs about language (e.g., language as structured system, cultural world, or representation of cognition), beliefs about learners (e.g., inherent dispositions, self-regulatory tendencies, and heterogeneity), and beliefs about learning processes (e.g., experiential, cumulative, pattern-driven, and condition-dependent development). These beliefs function as interpretive resources that organize experience, stabilize explanations of progress and difficulty, and shape perceived agency across multilingual trajectories. Situated within a Complex and Dynamic Systems Theory framework, metalinguistic beliefs are understood as emergent and temporarily stabilizing components of multilingual meaning-making. This perspective refines their conceptualization and highlights the value of multilingual narratives for examining how such belief systems develop and operate.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1756463</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1756463</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Lexical vs. structural cue use in L2 prediction: filler-gap parsing ability shapes learners' information use]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-04T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Chie Nakamura</author><author>Suzanne Flynn</author><author>Yoichi Miyamoto</author><author>Noriaki Yusa</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study examines whether second language (L2) sentence processing is governed by the same underlying mechanisms as native language processing or whether it relies on qualitatively distinct mechanisms. Using the visual-world paradigm and permutation analyses, we compared native English speakers and Japanese second language (L2) learners of English in processing globally ambiguous filler-gap dependencies (e.g., Where did Lizzie tell someone that she was going to catch butterflies?). By distinguishing L2 learners based on their comprehension accuracy for unambiguous filler-gap sentences, we identified systematic variation in the mechanisms guiding predictive processing. High-accuracy learners exhibited anticipatory eye-movement patterns comparable to those of native speakers, consistent with the use of structurally guided predictive dependency formation. In contrast, low-accuracy learners also showed predictive behavior, but this prediction was driven primarily by lexical or surface-level regularities rather than structural information. Importantly, neither the structure-based prediction observed in the high-accuracy group nor the lexical cue-based predictive observed in the low-accuracy group can be attributed to direct transfer from Japanese. Together, these results support a gradient view of L2 sentence processing in which qualitatively different predictive mechanisms coexist and may shift as a function of learners' structural computation ability, rather than a simple contrast between non-predictive and native-like processing.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1763160</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1763160</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Auditory-perceptual acuity impacts prosodic boundary prediction in a gating task]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-02T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Andrea Hofmann</author><author>Outi Tuomainen</author><author>Sandra Hanne</author><author>João Veríssimo</author><author>Isabell Wartenburger</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Processing of prosodic phrasing requires listeners to integrate acoustic cues that unfold incrementally during speech comprehension, yet substantial individual differences exist in how listeners use unfolding prosodic information. This study investigated whether individual differences in auditory-perceptual discrimination abilities for prosodic boundary cues are related to processing of prosodic phrasing, and, more specifically, the ability to use the incremental bottom-up prosodic information for making top-down predictions about the syntactic structure of an unfolding utterance. Sixty German-speaking adults completed adaptive staircase procedures measuring Just-Noticeable-Difference thresholds for auditory-perceptual acuity in pitch, pause, and final lengthening discrimination. In addition, they performed a gating task that provided snippets of coordinate three-name sequences with or without an internal prosodic boundary in a randomized order. Performance in the gating task was analyzed using Bayesian multilevel Signal Detection Theory models to separate discriminability from response bias. Participants with higher auditory-perceptual acuity demonstrated better prediction of the upcoming structure across all gates. When all three auditory-perceptual acuity measures were modeled simultaneously, each individual effect attenuated substantially, indicating shared, rather than independent, predictive variance. These findings suggest that top-down prediction during speech comprehension is related to overall auditory-perceptual acuity rather than independent boundary-cue-specific sensitivities.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1721326</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1721326</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Integrating language model embeddings into the ACT-R cognitive modeling framework]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Maryam Meghdadi</author><author>John Duff</author><author>Vera Demberg</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In 2025, psycholinguistic research has the benefit of large, high-quality datasets of human behavior, and massively-scalable metrics for variables of interest like frequency and association. This means we have more data than ever before to shed light on classic language processing phenomena like associative priming. But in order to build and test rigorous theories against this data, we also need computational modeling tools that can simulate cognitive mechanisms and generate quantitative predictions at the same scale. In this paper, we assemble one such case, adapting the ACT-R cognitive modeling framework to make use of association metrics derived from language model embeddings, in service of a scalable model of associative priming in the Lexical Decision Task. ACT-R implements a model of memory retrieval that can use itemwise predictors like frequency and association to predict task response times (RTs), via interpretable and meaningfully-parameterized components like spreading activation. But currently, ACT-R's spreading activation calculations rely on manually-coded similarity scores, which are labor-intensive and prone to inaccuracies, particularly for large vocabularies. In this study, we replace these hand-coded associations with cosine similarity scores derived from Word2Vec and BERT embeddings, thereby improving both scalability and predictive accuracy while retaining ACT-R's interpretability. We compare various versions of our model against observed human RTs from the Semantic Priming Project dataset, observing impressive item-wise prediction accuracy, and achieving the strongest alignment with a model where spreading activation is penalized via a scalable approximation of the classic “fan effect.” These findings provide a proof of concept for integrating embedding-based representations into algorithmic-level models of language processing. More than an insight into models of priming, we see this as a first step toward scalable and specific models of more complex phenomena.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1774197</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1774197</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The effect of aging on the semantic processing of overt and covert Chinese face action verbs]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-19T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Meng Jiang</author><author>Ya Tan</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionThe resilience of language, particularly lexicosemantic processing, to age-related cognitive decline remains a subject of debate.MethodThis study investigated this issue by examining how healthy aging affects the processing of Chinese facial action verbs distinguished by effector explicitness—overt verbs (e.g., “睁眼” [open one's eyes]) versus covert verbs (e.g., “观星” [gaze at the stars]).Results and discussionIn a semantic categorization task, older adults exhibited significantly slower response times than younger adults overall, indicating a generalized age-related slowing in semantic access. While a numerical trend suggested that older adults might benefit more from the explicit cues in overt verbs, the critical Age Group × Verb Type interaction was not statistically significant. Thus, the efficiency advantage conferred by explicit effector representation remained stable across age. These findings confirm that semantic processing is not immune to the general slowing observed in aging, yet the fundamental architecture of semantic representation—specifically, the relative ease of processing lexically specified effectors—appears to be preserved.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1625397</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1625397</link>
        <title><![CDATA[On semantic agreement]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Isabelle Charnavel</author><author>Dominique Sportiche</author>
        <description><![CDATA[We discuss semantic agreement, cases in which agreement between a head and a DP seems to drive, or be driven by, interpretive properties of this DP rather than its syntactic properties. This discussion centers mostly on the case of subject/verb number and person agreement (but its conclusions would extend to other cases of agreement between a head and a DP). In such a configuration, semantic agreement occurs in cases in which the feature values on T do not seem to match the feature values of its DP subject. More specifically, we conclude that features on agreeing heads can and sometimes must be semantically interpretable. In such cases, the values of the features on T can target the denotational properties of its DP subject, instead of its phi (ϕ)-feature (values): they can or must trigger a presupposition about this DP subject's denotation.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1750939</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/flang.2026.1750939</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Co-registration of EEG and eye-tracking in psycholinguistics and bilingualism research]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Cristina López-Rojas</author><author>Concepción Soto</author><author>Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim</author><author>Viorica Marian</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Eye-tracking and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings provide a window into the human mind. Combining both methods through co-registration offers a powerful and innovative approach for examining how cognitive and neural processes unfold in real time. While both EEG and eye-tracking have independently advanced our understanding of bilingual language processing, co-registration research in the field of bilingualism remains scarce. Given the potential of co-registration methodology to integrate multiple sources of information, this article provides a theoretically and empirically informed perspective on how it can be applied to bilingualism research. Drawing on findings from EEG and eye-tracking studies on bilingual language processing, as well as co-registration research in reading, we identify key areas of bilingualism, such as crosslinguistic activation and inference revision, where co-registration can help address existing gaps. We also discuss several methodological challenges associated with co-registration and offer practical recommendations for its effective implementation in future studies. We conclude that co-registration can move research on bilingual language processing toward a more integrated perspective, one that better captures the dynamic interplay between language and cognition.]]></description>
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