A cognitive network analysis of semantic associates in monolingual English speakers and learners of Kaqchikel

Abstract

Network science was used to create and examine semantic networks of cue and response words from a word association task in learners of Kaqchikel (an endangered language indigenous to Guatemala) and monolingual English speakers. English speakers provided a wide range of responses indicative of creative language use, whereas the Kaqchikel learners provided straightforward and utilitarian responses. The observed differences in network structure in the English/Kaqchikel learners resembled the structural differences previously observed in more/less creative individuals, suggesting an alternative account of the “foreign language effect” based on the size and structure of the semantic network in the native/foreign language.