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.

中文翻译：

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单语英语使用者和 Kaqchikel 学习者语义关联的认知网络分析


网络科学用于创建和检查来自 Kaqchikel（危地马拉一种濒危土著语言）学习者和单语英语使用者的单词关联任务的提示和响应词的语义网络。讲英语的人提供了广泛的回答，表明了创造性语言的使用，而 Kaqchikel 学习者则提供了直接和实用的回答。在英语/Kaqchikel 学习者中观察到的网络结构差异类似于之前在更多/较少有创造力的个体中观察到的结构差异，这表明基于母语/外语中语义网络的大小和结构对“外语效应”的另一种解释。