1 Bilingual memory: structure, access, and processing

Language and memory are closely intertwined in the human cognitive architecture. Language acquisition depends on successful memory encoding and retrieval; at the same time, language itself is instrumental for encoding and storing knowledge. For bilinguals, the need to keep their two languages functionally distinct infl uences memory. In this chapter, we review the structure of bilingual memory, including long-term, short-term, and phonological working memory and how they are infl uenced by knowledge of multiple languages. We also investigate memory access and review research on episodic memory access in bilinguals and on semantic memory access during bilingual language comprehension and production. We then examine processing in the context of existing models of bilingual language and memory. Finally, we consider how the prism of novel language learning can provide insight into the interaction between memory and language. We conclude that bilingualism changes the human cognitive architecture and affects the structure, access, and processing of language and memory. Successful acquisition and use of language requires the storage in memory of many words, their associated concepts, and grammatical rules. Access to these items in memory is accomplished with relative ease. The process by which language is stored, accessed, and processed is remarkable, yet becomes even more impressive when bilingualism is considered. A bilingual must not only store information pertaining to two languages, but also be able to access and process linguistic information according to changing linguistic contexts. The two languages

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