Bilingual Language Organization: Lexical and Syntactic Processing

Abstract

In these experiments, the French-English and Korean-English bilinguals showed an intermediate nature in their lexical and syntactic processing. The results are interpreted as support for the Mixed Hypothesis and the conclusion is made that, instead of applying the extreme version of the Shared or Separate Hypothesis, the Mixed Hypothesis better integrates and reflects the hybrid nature of bilingual processing. An emphasis is also made that, while developing and elaborating a bilingual model with this framework, it is necessary to focus on the extent to which bilinguals maintain their shared or separate language system(s). In so doing, one should examine various aspects, including language-specific factors, which determine the nature of the interaction between bilinguals' two languages.