Which statement best defines lexical cross-language activation?

Which statement best defines lexical cross-language activation?

• A. Activation of only the dominant language's lexicon.
• B. Activation of nonlexical grammar.
• C. No activation across languages.
• D. Activation of lexical items from both languages during processing.

Answer: (D)

In bilingual processing, representations from both languages can be activated at the same time, even when you’re focusing on just one language. This means lexical items from both languages can become active during processing, competing or supporting each other as you recognize or produce words. That concurrent coactivation across languages is what lexical cross-language activation describes, so the statement that lexical items from both languages are activated during processing best captures the idea. The other options imply activation is limited to one language, or involve nonlexical grammar, or no cross-language activation, which don’t align with how bilingual lexical access typically works.

In bilingual processing, representations from both languages can be activated at the same time, even when you’re focusing on just one language. This means lexical items from both languages can become active during processing, competing or supporting each other as you recognize or produce words. That concurrent coactivation across languages is what lexical cross-language activation describes, so the statement that lexical items from both languages are activated during processing best captures the idea. The other options imply activation is limited to one language, or involve nonlexical grammar, or no cross-language activation, which don’t align with how bilingual lexical access typically works.