Abstract
In monolingual studies, target word recognition is affected by the number of words that are morphologically related to the target. Larger morphological families lead to faster recognition. We investigated the role of the morphological family size (MFS) effect in bilingual word recognition. First, re-analysis of available English lexical decision data from Dutch-English bilinguals reported by Schulpen, Dijkstra, and Schriefers (2003) revealed a facilitatory English MFS effect in purely English words and in Dutch-English interlingual homographs (such as ROOM, a word that exists both in English and in Dutch, where it means 'cream'). For interlingual homographs, the Dutch MFS simultaneously induced inhibitory effects, supporting a language non-selective access process. The MFS effect was independent of the relative frequency of the two readings of the homographs. Task-dependence of the MFS effect was demonstrated in generalized Dutch-English lexical decision data, which led to facilitatory effects of both families. Finally, the pervasiveness of the MFS effect was demonstrated in a Dutch lexical decision task performed by the same type of bilinguals. Facilitatory effects of Dutch MFS were found for Dutch monolingual words and interlingual homographs, which were also affected by inhibitory effects of English MFS. The results are discussed in relation to the task-sensitive BIA+ model of bilingual word recognition.
