Grounding the Breakdown: Central and Autonomic Correlates of L2 Listening Obstacles

Listening comprehension involves complex cognitive processes that play a central role in language acquisition. Decoding a verbal message from the speech stream-whether in L1 or L2-requires the activation of different cognitive processes that enable the listener to connect perceived phonetic input with prior knowledge (Cutler & Clifton, 1999; Field, 2013; Zoghlami & Hilton, 2021). Depending on the learner’s proficiency and the automatization of certain processes (Satori, 2021; Field, 2024), L2 listening may involve higher or lower cognitive load (Buck, 2001; Roussel, 2021). This study reports preliminary findings from an interdisciplinary project in language didactics, linguistics, and cognitive neuroscience. The goal of the project is to observe neurophysiological responses during an L2 Italian listening task, carried out with intermediate and advanced French-speaking learners. fMRI data allowed us to identify neural networks involved in linguistic processing in both L1 and L2. Simultaneously, autonomic responseselectrodermal activity (EDA) and pulse plethysmography (PPG), which reflects heart ratewere recorded. This multimodal setup enables us to examine how L2 comprehension is shaped by the interplay between central (CNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. In this presentation, we focus on two preliminary findings: first, the brain regions most actively engaged when comprehension breaks down, particularly in the presence of linguistic obstacles; second, how these neural patterns may be influenced by autonomic responses. In doing so, we suggest an embodied perspective on what occurs when comprehension fails in L2, highlighting the dynamic interplay between cognitive and physiological systems during language processing.