Neural correlates of emotional word learning and processing in L1 and L2 speakers

Abstract This study examined how newly learned emotional meanings influence word processing in first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) speakers. Participants learned Chinese pseudowords paired with disgusted, sad or neutral faces. Generalization and refreshing tests assessed whether the learned meanings extended beyond specific pairings, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a modified lexical decision task to probe neural processing. Both groups successfully learned and generalized the emotional associations, although L2 speakers showed reduced cross-modal generalization for sadness. ERP analyses revealed that unlearned pseudowords elicited stronger early posterior negativity (EPN) while emotional pseudowords elicited larger late positive complex (LPC). Also, L2 participants exhibited greater LPC amplitudes and broader cortical recruitment than L1 counterparts. Moreover, disgust and sadness diverged in early neural responses, with disgust eliciting enhanced EPNs. These findings indicate rapid affective binding to novel words and greater neural effort for L2 processing, suggesting similar temporal dynamics but increased resource demands in L2.