Brain Processing of Compound Verbs in Second Language Learning using Brain Scanning Techniques and ERP

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mahboobe Bagheri ¹

Zari Saeedi ²

¹ PhD Candidate, Linguistics Department, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Linguistics Department, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba"i University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22067/jlkd.2025.95260.1345

Abstract

Language as a cognitive capacity possesses a generative system known as syntax through which humans unconsciously produce and comprehend sentences. Nevertheless, the neural mechanisms underlying this process remain to be fully explored. This study aimed to investigate the processing of Persian compound verbs among non-native learners of Persian at the Institute for Cognitive Science Studies. In the first phase, forty participants completed an online questionnaire containing 320 compound verbs. Based on frequency, 240 verbs were selected and categorized into four non-verbal groups (nominal, adjectival, adverbial, and prepositional). Subsequently, two tests were designed: one to assess the comprehension of verb meanings in phrases and another to evaluate the processing of compound verbs in two categories: opaque and transparent. The tests were developed using the Sokhan Dictionary (Anvari, 2002) and Compound Verbs in Modern Persian (Saeedi, 2016). In the next phase, ten participants were randomly selected for ERP brain imaging. Prior to the experiment, all participants, who were right-handed, completed questionnaires on general health, working memory, and attention level. Data were analyzed using EEGLAB in MATLAB and paired-sample t-tests. The ERP components N400, P300, and P600, associated with semantic and syntactic processing, were examined. The findings revealed that compound verbs, particularly opaque ones, required deeper processing and elicited distinct neural patterns in learners’ brains. Therefore, in teaching Persian as a second language, special attention should be paid to the semantic transparency of compound verbs. The results open new perspectives in neurolinguistics and hold practical implications for instructional material design and content development.

Keywords

Brain Scanning/Event-Related Potentials (ERP)

Persian Compound Verbs

Cognitive Science

Non-native Persian Learners

Subjects

• Psychology of language

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