Meaning first: A case for language-independent access to word meaning in the bilingual brain

► We investigate visual word access by Spanish-English balanced bilinguals. ► Behavioral and ERP responses were recorded for two tasks. ► The bilinguals are sensitive to word frequency, including non-target words. ► Meaning of a word can be accessed before or after language membership information. ► Usage frequency of a language may explain the early access to language membership.