Self-production facilitates acquisition of spoken words, signs, and characters from an unfamiliar second language. The proposed work investigates how motor cortex, a key part of the brain enabling body action, supports their acquisition via production as well as perception, providing insight into whether they are learned via mental simulation of the body actions used to produce them. It is hypothesized that activity in motor cortex will differ based on the body part used to produce lexical items (e.g., mouth vs. hands), will be greater for lexical items learned via production than observation, and will differentiate lexical items recognized successfully vs. unsuccessfully.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Right-handed
• Native English speaker

Exclusion Criteria:

• Knowledge of sign language or languages with logographic characters
• Hearing or vision impairments
• Speech, language, or learning disorders
• Unsecured metal body implants

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