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Free keywords:
Foreign vocabulary; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Language network; Memory; Learning; Enrichment
Abstract:
In the native language, abstract and concrete nouns are represented in distinct areas of the
cerebral cortex. Currently, it is unknown whether this is also the case for abstract and concrete nouns
of a foreign language. Here, we taught adult native speakers of German 45 abstract and 45 concrete
nouns of a foreign language. After learning the nouns for 5 days, participants performed a vocabulary
translation task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Translating abstract nouns in contrast
to concrete nouns elicited responses in regions that are also responsive to abstract nouns in the native
language: the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left middle and superior temporal gyri. Concrete nouns
elicited larger responses in the angular gyri bilaterally and the left parahippocampal gyrus than
abstract nouns. The cluster in the left angular gyrus showed psychophysiological interaction (PPI) with
the left lingual gyrus. The left parahippocampal gyrus showed PPI with the posterior cingulate cortex.
Similar regions have been previously found for concrete nouns in the native language. The results
reveal similarities in the cortical representation of foreign language nouns with the representation of
native language nouns that already occur after 5 days of vocabulary learning. Furthermore, we showed
that verbal and enriched learning methods were equally suitable to teach foreign abstract and concrete
nouns.
