To communicate successfully, listeners must decode both the literal and intended meanings of a speaker’s message. This ability is especially crucial when processing indirect replies as intended meanings can differ significantly from what was said. How native and non-native speakers differ in this ability is an open question. The present study investigated differences in the time course of indirect reply processing in native and non-native Mandarin speakers. EEG signals were recorded while participants were presented with conversations that differed in their directness. For indirect replies, native speakers exhibited a larger left anterior N400 and posterior late positive component (LPC). Conversely, non-native speakers exhibited a larger left-distributed LPC and delayed LPC. Findings support that non-native speakers exhibit delayed processing of indirect replies, potentially because of cognitive resource limitations. Findings from the present study have implications for a broad range of investigations on human communication and second language processing.

中文翻译：

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母语和非普通话母语人士间接回复处理的时间进程：一项 ERP 研究


为了成功交流，听众必须解码说话者信息的字面含义和预期含义。在处理间接回复时，这种能力尤其重要，因为预期的含义可能与所说的内容大不相同。母语和非母语人士在这种能力上有何不同是一个悬而未决的问题。本研究调查了母语和非普通话母语人士间接回复处理时间进程的差异。记录脑电图信号，同时向参与者展示不同直接性的对话。对于间接回答，母语人士表现出更大的左前N400和后后晚期阳性成分 （LPC）。相反，非母语人士表现出更大的左分布 LPC 和延迟的 LPC。研究结果支持非母语人士表现出对间接回复的延迟处理，这可能是由于认知资源的限制。本研究的结果对人类交流和第二语言处理的广泛研究具有意义。