LexTALE for Russian, Tatar and West Circassian

In bilingual research, it is crucial to determine the level of language proficiency. Based on this, participants are divided into L1 or L2 groups. This is a particularly challenging issue in meta-analysis because different methodological evaluations of bilingualism hamper the identification of patterns in numerous studies. Hence, it is methodologically incorrect to compare groups with a non-dominant language in groups of Spanish-English or Turkish-German bilinguals if the language proficiency was assessed differently in both groups.

The language proficiency level is usually reported based on subjective (self-reports like LEAP-Q, LHQ, or LSBQ) or objective forms (e.g., IELTS, DELF, or Multilingual Naming Test, The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test). Most of the tests, though, are expensive, time-consuming, or fail to identify the dominant language, which is why it is a fundamental research challenge to create a test that would determine the level of language proficiency freely, quickly, and with high accuracy.

According to Lemhöfer & Broersma (2012), the lexical decision test LexTALE measures vocabulary knowledge from intermediate to proficient levels in L2 speakers. In contrast to other vocabulary or proficiency tests, LexTALE has been designed to meet the needs of cognitive researchers. It is quick, easy to apply, and free, and yet it is a valid and standardized test of vocabulary knowledge. On average, LexTALE takes about 3.5 minutes to complete, and it is available in many languages (English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi).

The Center for Language and Brain is developing the LexTALE for Russian, Tatar, and West Circassian. This will enable researchers to accurately classify bilingual groups in neurolinguistic and psycholinguistic research and clearly identify differences in the L1 and L2 groups.