Acquisition Pathways and Their Impact on Bilingual Lexical Access and Comprehension

Abstract

This study explores how different modes of language acquisition—simultaneous versus sequential bilingualism—affect lexical access and language comprehension in bilingual individuals. Drawing on psycholinguistic and neurolinguistics evidence, we examine how the timing, context, and manner of language exposure influence the efficiency and accuracy of word retrieval and sentence processing in both first and second languages. Through behavioral experiments and a review of relevant neuroimaging data, we find that early, immersive exposure facilitates more integrated and automatic lexical access, while late acquisition often results in increased cognitive load and slower retrieval, especially in low-frequency or contextually ambiguous words. These findings highlight the role of acquisition pathways in shaping the cognitive architecture of bilingual language systems and have implications for educational practices, language assessment, and second language pedagogy.