The subject of the study is the activation mechanisms of the bilingual mental lexicon in the spontaneous speech of students differing in the type of bilingualism and the conditions of English language acquisition. The object of the research is oral narratives produced in response to keyword triggers selected in accordance with a methodological approach aimed at enhancing learners' “word power” by appealing to their life experience. The authors examine in detail such aspects as the frequency and functions of code-switching, calquing, hesitation pauses, as well as discourse-pragmatic markers and lexico-cognitive characteristics. Special attention is paid to the comparison of four contrasting groups of university students from Russia, Armenia and the USA. The analysis focuses on how the type of bilingual experience—from formal academic bilingualism to natural translanguaging practice—affects lexical flexibility, pragmatic richness, and cultural embeddedness of speech. The methodology is based on a qualitative-quantitative analysis of transcribed spontaneous speech using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post-hoc tests for between-group comparisons across eleven linguistic measures. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive comparison of four types of bilingual experience within a single experimental paradigm, which made it possible, for the first time, to empirically reveal a gradient from formal academic bilingualism to natural translanguaging practice. The main conclusions of the study are as follows: balanced Spanish-English bilinguals demonstrate maximum integration of linguistic resources, manifested in a high density of intrasentential code-switching, a wide functional range of discourse markers, and a wealth of cultural references embedded in speech without translation. Russian-speaking heritage speakers occupy an intermediate position, exhibiting moderate yet functionally loaded switching, whereas EFL students from Russia and Armenia show minimal translanguaging flexibility, a predominance of calquing and hesitations, indicating a disconnect between language systems. The authors’ particular contribution is the substantiation that keyword triggers, when presented with a translanguaging mindset, can activate an integrated bilingual lexicon only if the learner possesses a rich associative network linking the word with personal experience and culture. The findings prove the need for the purposeful implementation of translanguaging pedagogical strategies centered on keyword triggers to foster a full-fledged bilingual mental lexicon in various student populations.
Semenova et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: