1. Introduction

Introduced the semantic and prosodic channels of emotional expression in oral communication, as well as the semantic prosodic Stroop effect. Explored the relationship between this effect and second language proficiency, the response of second language speakers to conflicting information, and whether the processing mechanism is influenced by tonal/non tonal language. Through two experiments, the influence of semantic prosodic Stroop effect on Chinese English learners with different second language proficiency levels was studied, aiming to reveal the cognitive psychological mechanism of second language learners in processing emotional vocabulary.

2. Literature review and research questions

The literature review section explores the bilingual advantage effect, pointing out that bilingual experience can enhance individuals' cognitive abilities, such as task switching, inhibitory control, and attentional selection. Research has found that high-level bilinguals perform better in inhibitory control. For example, in the Stroop test for color word interference, high-level bilinguals are less affected and demonstrate stronger language inhibitory control abilities. Bilinguals need to suppress vocabulary access in one language during communication, and long-term language suppression behavior may promote their inhibitory control ability in other cognitive tasks. In addition, high-level bilinguals may more effectively utilize the left and right brains, promoting the conversion of brain functional activity patterns.

3. Research methods

Detailed description of the research methodology, including subject selection, experimental materials, experimental process, and data analysis. The participants were 40 Chinese college English learners, divided into two groups: high-level and low-level, and screened through LexTALE vocabulary test. The experimental materials were selected from 3000 words from Oxford and Longman, including 120 emotional words, read aloud and recorded by native Canadian speakers. The experiment is divided into semantic judgment and prosodic judgment tasks, using E-Prime 2.0 software and Chronos reaction box for key judgment. The data analysis used the lme4 package of R software to fit a mixed effects model, considering covariates such as semantic prosodic consistency, task type, second language proficiency and its interaction, as well as word audio duration.

4. Research results

In a study on the semantic prosodic processing of emotional vocabulary among Chinese English learners with different second language proficiency levels, the results showed that after removing abnormal data, there was no significant interaction between the high and low level groups in terms of response to semantic prosodic consistency in prosodic and semantic judgment tasks. However, there is a significant interaction between task type and second language proficiency. Specifically, in the prosodic judgment task, there was no significant difference in reaction time between the two groups of participants, while in the semantic judgment task, the reaction time of high-level participants was significantly shorter than that of low-level participants. In addition, there was no significant difference in reaction time between the two tasks among high-level participants, while low-level participants showed a relative preference for rhythm judgment tasks.

5. Discussion

This study explored the differences in semantic prosodic processing of emotional vocabulary among Chinese English learners at different levels through the Stroop paradigm interference task. Research has found that low-level learners have longer reaction times in prosodic judgment tasks, indicating a preference for prosodic processing, while high-level learners have longer reaction times under semantic prosodic inconsistency conditions, indicating that they are influenced by the semantic prosodic Stroop effect. In terms of processing mechanisms, low-level learners may be in an indirect comprehension stage, relying on a single vocabulary, while high-level learners directly comprehend concepts. In addition, low-level learners exhibit significant main effects in semantic valence and emotional prosody, while high-level learners do not. This may be related to the embodied and emotional experience of learners towards second language vocabulary. The study also suggests that high-level learners have longer reaction times under conditions of semantic prosodic inconsistency, which may be related to their skepticism towards direct access results and their pursuit of one language assistance for reprocessing. Future research can further explore the qualitative change process of second language learners from prosodic preference to semantic preference, as well as the underlying mechanisms behind the bilingual advantage effect.

6. Conclusion

This study found through the Stroop paradigm interference experiment that there are differences in emotional vocabulary processing among Chinese English learners at different levels. Low level learners rely more on prosodic channels and have a processing preference for positive and sad emotions; However, high-level learners did not show significant advantages in channels or specific semantic emotional preferences. The strength of the semantic prosodic Stroop effect is positively correlated with second language proficiency, with high-level learners experiencing greater interference under inconsistent conditions. The study proposes new insights into the hypothesis of bilingual advantage effect, suggesting that the relationship between bilingual advantage and second language proficiency is complex and influenced by multiple factors. Future research can further explore the impact of factors such as age and gender on bilingual advantages.