Despite the multifactorial space of language experience in which people continuously vary, bilinguals are often dichotomized into ostensibly homogeneous groups. The timing of language exposure (age of acquisition) to a second language (L2) is one well-studied construct that is known to impact language processing, cognitive processing, and brain organization, but recent work shows that current language exposure is also a crucial determinant in these domains. Critically, many indices of bilingual experience are inherently subjective and based on self-report questionnaires. Such measures have been criticized in favor of objective measures of language ability (e.g., naming ability or verbal fluency). Here, we estimate the bilingual experience jointly as a function of multiple continuous aspects of experience, including the timing of language exposure, the amount of L2 exposure across communicative contexts, and language entropy (a flexible measure of language balance) across communicative contexts. The results suggest that current language exposure exhibits distinct but interrelated patterns depending on the socio-experiential context of language usage. They also suggest that, counterintuitively, our sample more accurately self-assesses L2 proficiency than native language proficiency. A precise quantification of the multidimensional nature of bilingualism will enhance the ability of future research to assess language processing, acquisition, and control.

中文翻译：

---

作为多维光谱的双语语言体验：与客观和主观语言能力的关联

尽管人们在语言体验的多因素空间中不断变化，但双语者经常被分成表面上同质的群体。对第二语言 (L2) 的语言暴露时间（习得年龄）是一个经过充分研究的结构，已知它会影响语言处理、认知处理和大脑组织，但最近的研究表明，当前的语言暴露也是一个关键这些领域的决定因素。至关重要的是，许多双语体验指标本质上是主观的，并且基于自我报告问卷。此类测量有利于客观测量语言能力（例如，命名能力或语言流利度）而受到批评。在这里，我们将双语体验联合估计为体验的多个连续方面的函数，包括语言暴露的时间，跨交际语境的 L2 暴露量，以及跨交际语境的语言熵（语言平衡的灵活度量）。结果表明，当前的语言暴露表现出不同但相互关联的模式，具体取决于语言使用的社会经验背景。他们还表明，与直觉相反，我们的样本对 L2 熟练程度的自我评估比母语熟练程度更准确。对双语多维性质的精确量化将增强未来研究评估语言处理、习得和控制的能力。结果表明，当前的语言暴露表现出不同但相互关联的模式，具体取决于语言使用的社会经验背景。他们还表明，与直觉相反，我们的样本对 L2 熟练程度的自我评估比母语熟练程度更准确。对双语多维性质的精确量化将增强未来研究评估语言处理、习得和控制的能力。结果表明，当前的语言暴露表现出不同但相互关联的模式，具体取决于语言使用的社会经验背景。他们还表明，与直觉相反，我们的样本对 L2 熟练程度的自我评估比母语熟练程度更准确。对双语多维性质的精确量化将增强未来研究评估语言处理、习得和控制的能力。