Die Kosten der Mehrsprachigkeit: Zeit und Fehler bei der Wortfindung

Résumé

This article reviews psycholinguistic studies that compare monolingual and bilingual speakers’ performance in a number of tasks that involve lexical access (the naming of pictures and two-digit numbers, the categorization of word meanings, speeded reading, and lexical decision). The reviewed studies suggest that bilinguals are at a disadvantage in lexical retrieval tasks in their first language (as reflected by lower speed and reduced accuracy in word retrieval) compared to monolinguals. Bilingual speakers also experience higher rates of tip-of-the-tongue states in laboratory studies compared with monolinguals. While reduced access speed and increased error proneness in the first language are costs associated with multilingualism, the benefits associated with it certainly outweigh its costs.