Changing views on word recognition in bilinguals

Abstract

For a long time, bilingualism was believed to involve the requirement of two separate word processing systems that function independantly and that can be accessed selectively. these assumptions are both intuitively appealing and have guided empirical research on multiple language proficiency for decades. However, a number of recent studies have challenged these ideas, both for spoken word recognition and for written word recognition. We first review some of these studies, and then present a computational model that processes words within an integrated lexicon. We end by listing a number of real challenges and false trails tis new framework is likely to raise.