Insights from Eye-Tracking on Second Language Learning and Processing

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue brings together empirical research employing eye-tracking methodologies to investigate second language (L2) learning and processing. Eye-tracking provides a powerful means of capturing the moment-by-moment dynamics of comprehension, allowing researchers to examine how attention is allocated during language processing. In L2 contexts, such methods offer valuable insights into how learners navigate linguistic input under conditions of increased variability and uncertainty, including the influence of previously acquired languages.

The contributions to this Special Issue address key theoretical questions concerning the nature of L2 processing. In particular, they examine how L2 learners compare to native speakers, including whether observed differences reflect qualitative distinctions, quantitative differences in processing efficiency, or fundamentally shared underlying mechanisms. Topics include the role of lexical, syntactic, and prosodic cues, the extent to which predictive mechanisms are engaged, and how cross-linguistic influence and language transfer shape comprehension. We invite contributions to this Special Issue that also consider how language development unfolds across different learner populations, including bilingual and multilingual speakers, and how cognitive approaches to language can inform our understanding of these processes.

By bringing together recent empirical studies employing eye-tracking across diverse paradigms and learner populations, this Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of second language comprehension and to highlight the methodological contributions of eye-tracking research in this domain.

Dr. Chie Nakamura
Prof. Dr. Suzanne Flynn
Guest Editors

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