NeuroQuantology | May 2018 | Volume 16 | Issue 5 | Page 369-374 | doi: 10.14704/nq.2018.16.5.

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Wang L., Cognitive Mechanism of Language Transfer: Brain Potential Data Analysis in English Comprehension

Cognitive Mechanism of Language Transfer:

Brain Potential Data Analysis in English
Comprehension

Lei Wang
ABSTRACT
This study examines the effects of the differences between the deep meaning of the native language and the target
language on language transfer in the cognitive process of English understanding from the aspects of behavior and
cranial nerves. The experimental results show that besides the approximations in linguistic typology that impacts
the formation of the cognitive mechanism of foreign language learner in the target language, the deep meaning
relationship between the native language and the target language is also an important factor affecting language
transfer, which affects the formation of the cognitive mechanism of foreign language learners to the target
language. Specifically, English errors with the same meaning as Chinese cause significant N400 effect, while the
error sentences with different meaning from Chinese do not cause the same brain potential effect. This study, from
the perspective of cognitive neuroscience, supports the interpretation of language transfer by cognitive theory.

Key Words: EEG, Cognitive Mechanism, Language Transfer, Brain Potential, English Comprehension 369
DOI Number: 10.14704/nq.2018.16.5.1300 NeuroQuantology 2018; 16(5):369-374

Introduction particular, the event-related potential (ERP)

In the 1960s and 1970s, the influence of the rise of technique has higher time decomposition ability,
cognitive science on linguistics and psychology, and can record the change of the brain potential of
especially the proposition of Chomsky's linguistic the millisecond level in real time, which gives us a
theory, shifted the perspective of language transfer useful window to observe the electrophysiological
from the comparison of language morphology to activity of the brain in the normal language process
the study of the general development of English state, and especially helpful to observe those
acquisition. Researchers pay attention to the implicit cognitive activities in language processing
universal development law in the process of and to better explain the processing characteristics
English acquisition, and discuss the generation of language on the cognitive level "in linguistic
process of "interlanguage" in language acquisition research" (Deng, 2016). The classical ERP research
instead of the hypothesis theory of contrastive finds that when the brain processes the words with
analysis (Aburabia and Shakkour, 2014). the problem of semantic collocation in sentences, it
Therefore, language transfer is no longer a tends to show a negative-phase brain potential
common interpretation of language misuse in the change with a peak value of 300-500. The index is
process of language acquisition, but interlanguage called N400 component, which reflects the
hypothesis theory. In recent years, the application processing of vocabulary meaning in the process of
of cognitive neuroscience in linguistics has brought understanding sentences.
new research methods for linguistic research. In

Corresponding author: Lei Wang

Address: Xi’an International University, Xi’an 710077, China
e-mail  wendywang1982@sina.com
Relevant conflicts of interest/financial disclosures: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any
commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Received: 14 March 2018; Accepted: 13 April 2018

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 NeuroQuantology | May 2018 | Volume 16 | Issue 5 | Page 369-374 | doi: 10.14704/nq.2018.16.5.1300
Wang L., Cognitive Mechanism of Language Transfer: Brain Potential Data Analysis in English Comprehension

The electrical component of the brain peaks in and the similarity of sentence patterns can
600ms, and the brain wave patterns with positive constitute positive transfer (Liu et al., 2014).
phase change often appear in the brain's Negative transfer is commonly referred to as
understanding of sentences with grammatical interference. When the native language or other
errors (Gao, 2016). The ERP technique has also acquired language knowledge is different from
been widely used in English acquisition research. some characteristics of English, learners use the
ERP studies on language transfer have found that language rules of the language knowledge to
the ability to distinguish grammatical errors in replace English language rules, resulting in
English varies with the degree of similarity transfer and language errors.
between the native language and the English
language. Classification by language ranges resulting from
language transfer
Definition and Classification of Language Psychological linguists at home and abroad divide
Transfer language transfer into inter-language transfer and
Transfer is a psychological term originally and intra-language transfer. Inter-language transfer
refers to the effect of learners’ acquired means that learners are not familiar with the
knowledge or skills on the acquisition of new grammar rules of English, but transfer the
knowledge or skills in the course of learning grammar rules of other acquired language to their
(Michie et al., 2008). Language transfer refers to native language. When an inter-language transfer
the phenomenon that learners try to express their results in an error, a negative inter-language
thoughts by means of their native language's transfer occurs. When inter-language transfer
pronunciation, meaning, grammar rules or happens to say the right English, there is a
cultural habits when they communicate in positive inter-language transfer (Kim et al., 2013).
English. Inter-language transfer is not necessarily limited
to one-way transfer from native language to
Classification by process generated from language English. When learners learn English to a certain
transfer extent, English also has an influence on the
Felker divides language transfer into "transfer in mother tongue. Intra-linguistic transfer is a 370
communication" and "transfer in learning". phenomenon of negative transfer within the
Transfer in communication refers to that learners English language, and refers to that learners
use the basic principles of the native language (or widely use some rules of the English language in a
acquired language) to achieve temporary and wrong way, which leads to over-generalization.
individual communicative purposes or to help Since the over-generalization is not appropriate,
them understand the meaning of English, which there will be errors. The concepts of inter-
occurs only when they speak and understand language transfer and intra-language transfer are
speech. This is the same as Cod's "borrowing" the study of the researchers of applied
mentioned in language error analysis (Ito and psycholinguistics on errors in English learning
Senholzi, 2013). This kind of transfer means that from the perspective of error analysis (Diao,
when learners cannot express their meaning in 2015). Researchers such as Du Lei and Bert
English in a certain situation, they use their native believe that interference errors of mother tongue
language or the components of acquired language account for a very small proportion of language
to achieve their communicative purpose. errors made by learners. English learning, like
acquisition of mother tongue, is a creative
Classification by utility generated from language learning process. English learners' English
transfer mistakes are of the same nature as children's
Psychological linguists at home and abroad divide acquisition errors of mother tongue, and have a
language transfer into positive transfer and transitional and self-established system (Caroline
negative transfer. Positive transfer is also called et al., 2015).
promotion. When certain characteristics of native This study attempts to analyze the
language are similar or completely consistent classification of language transfer from a unified
with English, positive transfer often occurs. For and hierarchical perspective, as shown in Figure 1
example, the basic word order of English and below:
Chinese is subject + predicate + object (S+V+O),

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 NeuroQuantology | May 2018 | Volume 16 | Issue 5 | Page 369-374 | doi: 10.14704/nq.2018.16.5.1300
Wang L., Cognitive Mechanism of Language Transfer: Brain Potential Data Analysis in English Comprehension

Figure 1. The classification of language transfer

Cognitive Mechanism is the Premise of for the differences. The ability to communicate
Language Transfer and translate between languages is also based on
It is the primary task of the English discipline in commonness. The labeling theory and mother
China to introduce new theories and methods of tongue transfer labeling are shown in Table 1.
linguistics abroad, to describe and explain English
phenomena better and to reveal the rules of Methods
English in combination with practical English. The To sum up, cognitive linguistics is oriented to
introduction of cognitive linguistics has at least commonness, which is a great development in the
two effects on English research: first, its theory history of language research and is conducive to
and method can be used to explain the revealing the essence and mystery of languages.
phenomena that have not been explained before; Cognitive linguistics is a generic linguistics that
the second is to raise the scattered interpretation 371
emphasizes the commonness of human cognitive
in the past to the level of cognition, and make it processes, and language transfer results from the
theorized and systematized (Salim et al., 2013). influence of similarities or differences between
English and any other language that the learners
Table 1. Markedness theory and mother tongue migration acquired previously, which mostly results from
Type Mother tongue Target language Interlanguage the commonness of human cognition. Therefore,
1 Unmarked Unmarked Unmarked
2 Unmarked Marked Unmarked
cognitive mechanism is the premise of language
3 Marked Unmarked Unmarked transfer.
4 Marked Marked Unmarked
Experimental subjects
Although cognitive linguistics takes a specific A total of 20 English majors from the Foreign
language as its object, it explores the commonness Languages Institute took part in the experiment
of languages in order to find out the universal (average age of 24, 3 men). They are all late
laws of human cognition and languages. skilled English learners. They began to learn
Different languages are merely the choice English at the age of 18, with an average of 6 years
and utilization of common laws under certain in learning English. They have no living
cultural constraints (Moghaddam and Araghi, experience in English-speaking countries, with
2013). Cognitive linguistics has found that basic English proficiency of Level I of English
categories and prototypes play an important role proficiency test. All participants are right handed,
in the formation of concepts, metaphor and with normal vision and corrected vision, and
metonymy are important mechanisms of word without history of mental and neuropathy. They
meaning evolution and grammaticalization, are voluntary to participate in the experiment,
language similarity and others have a general signed informed consent and experimental
sense of the hypothesis, which has been tested in agreement, and received corresponding reward
many languages. Commonness is the basis of after the experiment.
studying individuality, knowing the commonness

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 NeuroQuantology | May 2018 | Volume 16 | Issue 5 | Page 369-374 | doi: 10.14704/nq.2018.16.5.1300
Wang L., Cognitive Mechanism of Language Transfer: Brain Potential Data Analysis in English Comprehension

Experimental materials and design auxiliary words are presented in accordance with
The experimental sentences contain 160 English daily English writing habits. Most words are
experimental stimulus sentences and 160 English Chinese characters. The mixed writing of Chinese
fill-in stimulus sentences. Experimental stimulus characters and kana in verbs is based on the
sentences are divided into 4 groups, each notation in English dictionaries. The principle of
containing 40 experimental stimulus sentences. In the electroencephalogram testing system is
each group of experimental stimulus sentences, shown in Figure 2.
the meaning relationship 2 (the meaning
relationship is the same, and the meaning Experimental procedure
relationship is different) X correct & wrong 2 (the The experiment is conducted in a soundproof
correct, and the wrong) are operated respectively, room with subjects sitting in front of a computer
to constitute four experimental conditions. By screen (60 cm apart), eyes looking horizontally at
changing the case auxiliary after NP2, we the screen, and horizontal and vertical viewing
construct correct sentences and incorrect angles kept within ± 5 degrees. The participants
sentences with same number. Especially for the are told that they would see a series of English
experimental stimulus sentences, the correct sentences, each of which is continuously
sentence and the wrong sentence are represented in the form of common English
distinguished only by exchanging the case section: word + auxiliary. "+" indicates that the
auxiliary words after NP2. In this way, for the sentence is about to start, and "??" indicates that
same condition and different conditions of the the sentence is over. The participants are asked to
meaning relationship, except for the auxiliary make a grammar right/error judgment on the
word, the stimulation of other words maintain the presented sentence. As shown in Figure 1, the
consistency in the visual sense. Therefore, for the presentation time of the gaze point is 500 ms, the
correct and incorrect judgment of the sentence, presentation time of the sentence segmentation is
the participants can make the correct judgment 600 ms, and then the empty screen of 400 ms
only through the rationality of the collocation of appears, that’s, the stimulation SOA is 1000 ms,
the case auxiliary word with the later verb. The and the ISI is 400 ms. The time of judgment for
experimental stimulus sentences subjects is 1500ms, and the sentences that are not 372
judged in time are treated as errors. The
experiment requires the participants to make
grammatically judgment on each stimulus
sentence presented. For the correct sentence, they
should quickly and accurately press the left key of
the game handle, and press the right key to the
wrong sentence (The configuration of left and
right keys are balanced in the test). The
experiment is divided into two sequences with 2-
5 minutes intervals for test between sequences,
and the whole task of judgment takes about 40
minutes.

ERP record and analysis

A 32-channel EEG recorder is used in the
Figure 2. Schematic diagram of a brain wave test system experiment. The electrodes with Ag/AgCI are
arranged in international 10 ~ 20 systems. The
and the fill-in sentences are divided into two sampling rate of continuous EEG recording is
experimental sequences to be presented to the 500Hz (electrode resistance < 5kΩ) and the
subjects in succession (the order of presentation bandwidth is 0.05 ~ 100Hz. AFZ is the ground
is balanced). In order to ensure that experimental electrode. The reference electrode of EEG is
sentences expressing the same meaning do not located in the left auricle, and the data in the late
appear at the same time as the presentation stageis analyzed with the average reference of off-
sequence, the correct and wrong sentences in line two-ear connection. The horizontal and
meaning relationship are put into different vertical eye EEG are recorded by two electrodes
sequences respectively. English words and set respectively below the left eye and at the right

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 NeuroQuantology | May 2018 | Volume 16 | Issue 5 | Page 369-374 | doi: 10.14704/nq.2018.16.5.1300
Wang L., Cognitive Mechanism of Language Transfer: Brain Potential Data Analysis in English Comprehension

eye corner. The EEG off-line analysis used the first different meaning relation, the discrimination
200 milliseconds of target stimulation as the performance of the right sentences is significantly
baseline brain wave. In data analysis at the later higher than that of the wrong sentences, but there
stage, BrainVision Analyzer 2, the EEG device is no significant difference in the reaction time.
attached software, is used to carry out 30Hz low- The ERP data amplitude is shown in Figure 3. The
pass filtering (0.05Hz ~ 30Hz) for continuously statistical results of ERP data show that the right
recording EEG data. The eye EEG is corrected and wrong factors of the experimental stimulus
automatically for original data and the artifacts sentences have significant influence on the
with amplitude of greater than ± 50uV are average amplitude of the subjects, especially in
eliminated. From consecutive brain waves, each the 300-500ms time window, and the wrong
experimental condition is subjected to 1,200ms sentence judgment (column A) in the condition of
data segment sampling at a time interval of - the same meaning relationship leads to the
200ms baseline to 1,000ms post-stimulus significant negative phase waveform, which is
presentation, and the superposed average is distributed in the middle and back part of scalp,
completed by the segment sampling data. and the time window of its amplitude peak,
showing that the waveform is N400 EEG
Results component. In the same N400 time window, the
Because the correct judgment rate of 2-bit wrong sentence judgment (column C) in the
subjects is too low (<50%), the experimental data conditions of different meaning relationship does
of the subjects are deleted from the statistical not produce significant N400 effect, and the
analysis. Table 2 shows the average judgment waveforms of judging correct and wrong
accuracy and reaction time (in parentheses) of 18 sentences coincide with each other. In the time
subjects under various experimental conditions. window of 500 ~ 700ms, the negative phase
Analysis of repeated variance between subjects in waveform caused by right and wrong judgment
the meaning relationship 2 (the meaning under the condition of the same meaning
relationship is the same, and the meaning relationship still persists, but in the condition of
relationship is different) X correct & wrong 2 (the different meaning relation, the negative phase
correct, and the wrong) indicates that for the waveform caused by wrong sentence begins to 373
average correct rate of judgment, the main effect appear, and the statistical tendency is significant
of the meaning relationship is significant F in independent right and wrong average wave
(1,17)=22.48, p<0.01; the interaction effect amplitude statistics. In the time window of 700 ~
between the meaning relationship and the correct 900ms, no P600 component or any late phase
& wrong is remarkable, F(1, 17)=8.04, p<0.01, positive waveform component is found in ERP
under the condition of different meaning data statistics.
relations, the judgment of the correct sentence is
superior to the wrong sentence (88% vs 82%).
For the average reaction time, the main effect of
meaning relationship is significant F (1, 17)=4.25,
p<0.05, and there is no interaction effect (F<1).
The correct rate of sentence judgment and
reaction time under each condition is shown in
Table 2, and the unit of number in parentheses is
in milliseconds. The statistics of behavior data
show that the meaning relationship has a
significant influence on the accuracy and reaction
time of the experimental sentences. The
conditions with same meaning relationship are
compared with different conditions, the accuracy Figure 3. ERP amplitude data
and reaction time of the subjects are significantly
improved. However, in the condition of the same Table 2. The correct rate of sentence judgment and reaction
meaning relation, there is no significant difference time under each condition
in the discrimination performance and reaction Same Different
Correct 92.85%(597.66) 87.69%(614.03)
time between the right and wrong experimental
Error 92.85%(601.46) 81.47%(633.78)
stimulus sentences, and in the conditions of

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Wang L., Cognitive Mechanism of Language Transfer: Brain Potential Data Analysis in English Comprehension

Conclusions No.: 17IN14); 2016 Educational Science “13th

Through an empirical method of linguistic Five-Year Plan” Project of Shaanxi Province (Grant
experiments, this study probes deeply into the NO. SGH16H276).
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