What does cross-language interference in tasks suggest about bilingual lexical access?

What does cross-language interference in tasks suggest about bilingual lexical access?

• A. It indicates there is no interaction between languages
• B. It indicates that only one language is used at a time
• C. It indicates cross-language influence, supporting some shared or interacting representations
• D. It indicates bilinguals have no separate lexicon

Answer: (C)

Cross-language interference shows that bilingual lexical access involves activation from both languages, not isolated from one another. When you try to retrieve a word in one language, related words in the other language can be activated and compete, leading to slower responses or occasional errors. This pattern means the two languages influence each other, pointing to shared or interacting representations in the mental lexicon. It contradicts ideas that there’s no interaction or that only one language is ever active at a time. It doesn’t force the conclusion that there’s a single, completely unified lexicon with no separation—many models allow distinct but connected lexicons.

Cross-language interference shows that bilingual lexical access involves activation from both languages, not isolated from one another. When you try to retrieve a word in one language, related words in the other language can be activated and compete, leading to slower responses or occasional errors. This pattern means the two languages influence each other, pointing to shared or interacting representations in the mental lexicon. It contradicts ideas that there’s no interaction or that only one language is ever active at a time. It doesn’t force the conclusion that there’s a single, completely unified lexicon with no separation—many models allow distinct but connected lexicons.