Sentence Processing in Spanish as a Heritage Language: A Self-Paced Reading Study of Relative Clause Attachment

This study examines the role of cross-linguistic transfer versus general processing strategy in two groups of heritage speakers ( n = 28 per group) with the same heritage language – Russian – and typologically different dominant languages: English and Estonian. A group of homeland Russian speakers ( n = 36) is tested to provide baseline comparison. Within the framework of the Competition model (MacWhinney, 2012), cross-linguistic transfer is defined as reliance on the processing cue prevalent in the heritage speaker’s dominant language (e.g. word order in English) for comprehension of heritage language. In accordance with the Isomorphic Mapping Hypothesis (O’Grady and Lee, 2005), the general processing strategy is defined in terms of isomorphism as a linear alignment between the order of the sentence constituents and the temporal sequence of events. Participants were asked to match pictures on the computer screen with auditorily presented sentences. Sentences included locative or instrumental constructions, in which two cues – word order (basic vs. inverted) and isomorphism mapping (isomorphic vs. nonisomorphic) – were fully crossed. The results revealed that (1) Russian native speakers are sensitive to isomorphism in sentence processing; (2) English-dominant heritage speakers experience dominant language transfer, as evidenced by their reliance primarily on the word order cue; (3) Estonian-dominant heritage speakers do not show significant effects of isomorphism or word order but experience significant processing costs in all conditions.

Download Full-text

Effects of Sentence Structure on Sentence Elicited Imitation Responses

Journal of Speech and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.2104.809 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 809-819 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jo Carol Hudgins ◽

Walter L. Cullinan

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Sentence Processing ◽

Relative Clause ◽

Female College Students ◽

Sentence Structure ◽

Response Accuracy ◽

Relative Pronoun ◽

Elicited Imitation ◽

Sentence Repetition ◽

Repetition Task

This study investigates the effects of sentence structure on the number of error sentences and response latency in a sentence-repetition task. Forty female college students repeated short and long test sentences containing either a single self-embedded or right-branching subject-focus or object-focus relative clause. Sentences were also controlled for deletion of the relative pronoun of the relative clause. Sentence structure was found to affect sentence elicited imitation response accuracy and latency in a manner similar to the effects of structure on ease of comprehension. The findings are consistent with a canonical-sentoid strategy explanation of sentence processing during sentence imitation.

Download Full-text

The Role of Honorific Agreement in the Resolution of Relative Clause Attachment Ambiguity

The Journal of Mirae English Language and Literature ◽

10.46449/mjell.2021.11.26.4.23 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 23-53

Author(s):

Naeun Moon ◽

Hongoak Yun

Keyword(s):

Relative Clause ◽

Relative Clause Attachment

Download Full-text