Neurophysiological evidence for abstract concept embodiment in the second language: a question of proficiency?

Embodied cognition theories propose that abstract concepts are grounded via metaphorical mappings to concrete representations and social experiences. In bilinguals, however, it is unclear how such grounding plays out across two languages. We investigated the neurophysiological basis of perceived power embodiment in Chinese-English bilinguals as they categorised power words (e.g. editor) and control words (e.g. article) as large or small based on their physical appearance on the screen. Larger words elicited enhanced P3 and late positive component amplitudes as compared to smaller words, with stronger effects for power words than control words. The P3 effect was comparable between L1 and L2, suggesting spontaneous metaphorical mapping concerns both languages. However, L1 power words elicited enhanced N400 indicating richer social-conceptual representations in the native language. Importantly, L2 proficiency positively correlated with congruency effects across late ERP components, providing evidence that abstract concept embodiment in L2 depends on second language mastery.