Does bilingualism change native-language reading? Cognate effects in a sentence context

Becoming a bilingual can change a person’s cognitive functioning and language processing in a number of ways. This study focused on how knowledge of a second language (L2) influences native-language (L1) sentence reading. We used the cognate facilitation effect as a marker of cross-lingual activations in both languages. Cognates (e.g., Dutch-English schip [ship]) and controls were presented in a sentence context, while eye movements were monitored. Results showed faster reading times for cognates than for controls. Thus, this study shows that one of our most automated skills, reading in our native language, is changed by the knowledge of a second language