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‎ 20.1001.1.23223081.1401.0.0.321.3

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The effect of gender on L1-L2 syntactic processing in Turkish-Persian balanced Bilinguals using fMRI
Simin Meykadeh * 1, Werner Sommer2 , Arsalan Golfam3 , Seyed Amir Hossein Batouli4
1- Tarbiat Modares University , a.meykadeh@modares.ac.ir
2- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
3- Tarbiat Modares University
4- Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Abstract:   (2057 Views)
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of gender on the L1-L2 syntactic processing in balanced bilinguals who learned their L2 at the age of seven. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (ER-fMRI), Turkish-Persian balanced bilinguals (15 women and 15 men) performed an auditory grammaticality judgment task with an alternating language switching paradigm. Based on the Bilingual Dominance Scale, no significant difference was observed between the participants' proficiency in their L1 (Turkish) and L2 (Persian). Imaging results demonstrated strong neural similarity between men and women in two left-lateralized syntax-specific ROIs (Pars opercularis and posterior superior temporal gyrus), supporting the indistinguishable gender performance during L1-L2 syntactic processing. In addition, in EF-specific areas in right-hemisphere (planum temporale, supplementary motor area, superior parietal lobule and superior frontal gyrus), we did not observe differences in hemispheric recruitment by men and women, evidencing empirically for gender sameness in lateralization. Therefore, the present task and sample are not consistent with the previous claims that women show (a) superior language performance and (b) less lateralization. In general, our findings suggest that L1 and L2 syntactic processing in balanced bilinguals is not affected by the gender parameter.
 
Keywords: balanced bilinguals, gender, Persian, Turkish, Brain networks, fMRI, syntactic processing
     
Article Type: Research article | Subject: Language Applicators
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