German in childhood and Latin in adolescence: On the bidialectal nature of lexical access in English

This study investigated the influence of word etymology (Germanic vs. Latin) on lexical access in English. Using data from the English Lexicon Project (ELP) and the English Crowdsourcing Project (ECP), the researchers found that Germanic words were learned earlier and processed faster by native English speakers than Latin-based words, even when controlling for age of acquisition (AoA), frequency, and length. However, non-native speakers showed faster and more accurate processing of Latin-based words. The findings support a bidialectal view of English, suggesting that lexical processing builds upon a Germanic base in childhood, with Latin-based vocabulary integrated later. L2 learners appear to acquire English through a more advanced Latin-based vocabulary.

Arturo E. Hernandez, Juliana Ronderos, Jean Philippe Bodet III, Hannah Claussenius-Kalman, My V. H. Nguyen, Ferenc Bunta