The present study aims to investigate the neural correlates of processing conventional figurative language in non-native speakers in a comparison with native speakers. Italian proficient L2 learners of German and German native speakers read conventional metaphorical statements as well as literal paraphrases that were comparable on a range of psycholinguistic variables. Results confirm previous findings that native speakers show increased activity for metaphorical processing, and left amygdala activation increases with increasing Metaphoricity. At the whole-brain level, L2 learners showed the expected overall differences in activation when compared to native speakers (in the fronto-temporal network). But L2 speakers did not show any distinctive activation outside the caudate nucleus as Metaphoricity increased, suggesting that the L2 speakers were less affected by increasing Metaphoricity than native speakers were. With small volume correction, only a single peak in the amygdala reached threshold for L2 speakers as Metaphoricity increased. The findings are consistent with the view that metaphorical language is more engaging for native speakers but not necessarily for L2 speakers.

中文翻译：

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L1和L2中的隐喻语言处理和杏仁核激活。

本研究旨在调查与非母语人士相比，处理非母语人士中传统比喻语言的神经相关性。精通意大利语的德语和德语母语的意大利语学习者会阅读常规的隐喻性陈述以及在一系列心理语言变量上可比的直译。结果证实了以前的发现，即以母语为母语的人显示出增加的隐喻加工活性，而左杏仁核的激活则随着隐喻性的提高而增加。在全脑水平上，与母语使用者（在额颞网络中）相比，第二语言学习者显示出预期的总体激活差异。但是，随着隐喻性的提高，第二级说话者在尾状核之外没有显示出任何独特的激活，这表明，与母语使用者相比，二语说话者受到增加的隐喻性的影响较小。使用较小的音量校正，随着隐喻性的提高，杏仁核中只有一个峰达到了L2说话者的阈值。这一发现与这样一种观点是一致的，即隐喻语言对于母语为母语的人更具吸引力，而对二语母语的人则不一定。