Interactional Context and Language Regulation

Department

Department of Language Science University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Abstract

Bilinguals must regulate two simultaneously active languages, suppressing the non-target language to prevent interference during speech production.This study examines how interactional context shapes language regulation in two groups of Spanish - English bilinguals: late bilinguals living in Mexico (n = 33) and heritage bilinguals living in the United States (n = 13). Although both groups are proficient in Spanish and English, they differ in their dominant language environments and everyday language use patterns. Participants completed language production tasks including verbal fluency and picture naming, allowing us to examine effects of location, language, and language order. Results revealed clear environmental influences. Late bilinguals in Mexico demonstrated stronger performance in Spanish, whereas heritage bilinguals in the U.S. performed better in English. Language order effects also differed by group: for bilinguals in Mexico, completing tasks in Spanish first enhanced performance, while completing English first reduced subsequent Spanish accuracy, suggesting stronger inhibitory control demands in contexts where languages are more compartmentalized. In contrast, bilinguals in the U.S. showed more flexible performance patterns, likely reflecting frequent code-switching in everyday life. These findings suggest that interactional context significantly shapes bilingual language regulation, even among speakers of the same language pair with comparable proficiency. Understanding how the environment influences inhibitory control during language production contributes to broader models of bilingual cognition and helps us better understand how cognitive control systems adapt to different social environments.

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