L1 referential features influence pronoun reading in L2 for deaf, ASL-English bilinguals

Referential processing relies on similar cognitive functions across languages - in particular, working memory. However, this has only been investigated in spoken languages with highly similar referential systems. In contrast to spoken languages, American Sign Language (ASL) uses a spatial referential system. It is unknown whether the referential system of ASL (L1) impacts referential processing in English (L2). This cross-language impact may be of particular importance for deaf, bimodal bilinguals who sign in ASL and read in English. Self-paced reading times of pronouns in English texts were compared between ASL-English bimodal bilinguals and Chinese-English unimodal bilinguals. The results showed that L1 referential characteristics influenced pronoun reading time in L2. Furthermore, in contrast to Chinese-English bilinguals, ASL-English bilinguals' referential processing during reading of English texts relied on vocabulary knowledge - not working memory. These findings emphasize the need to expand current theories of referential processing to include more diverse types of language transfer.