Skilled reading in a second language: Core reading processes, L2 proficiency and first-language background

Abstract

This study examined incremental processes in skilled second-language (L2) reading by identifying those shared with first-language (L1) reading and those modulated by L1 background and L2 proficiency. Skilled college-level L2 English readers (L1 Spanish, Korean or Chinese) were compared with native English speakers in self-paced reading of New York Times texts. Each word was annotated for word-, sentence- and passage-level predictors to test how these variables shape reading. Both L1 and L2 reading were affected by the same factors, indicating shared incremental processes. In L2, the magnitude of these effects was shaped by proficiency and readers’ L1 background, with the most pronounced differences observed among Chinese–English readers. These findings support a skilled reading acquisition principle: Fluent reading relies on largely shared processes grounded in target-language knowledge and procedural skills for using this knowledge efficiently, even as proficiency and L1 background introduce variation in skilled L2 reading.