The influence of referentiality, definiteness, and “preposition+determiner” contraction on relative clause processing

Gitanna Brito Bezerra

doi:10.21814/diacritica.419

The influence of referentiality, definiteness, and “preposition+determiner” contraction on relative clause processing

Diacrítica ◽

10.21814/diacritica.419 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 116-140

Author(s):

Gitanna Brito Bezerra

Keyword(s):

Relative Clause ◽

Brazilian Portuguese ◽

Indefinite Article ◽

Contraction Effect

In this paper, we present two experiments (questionnaires) that we conducted to investigate the influence of referentiality, definiteness, and preposition+determiner contraction (P+D contraction) on relative clause processing. The first experiment was conducted in Brazilian Portuguese, and the results revealed an influence of referentiality and definiteness on relative clause interpretation: N2 modification (low attachment) was more probable when N2 was referential and when it was introduced by an indefinite article. The results did not reveal, however, an effect of P+D contraction. The second experiment was conducted in Spanish and it focused on referentiality and P+D contraction. The results revealed a significant effect of both factors: N2 modification was more probable when N2 was referential and when the article preceding it was not contracted with the preposition. Based on these results, we emphasize the influence of the three factors investigated on relative clause interpretation, highlighting the novelty of the P+D contraction effect.

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On the typological economy of syntactic transfer: Word order and relative clause high/low attachment preference in L3 Brazilian Portuguese

IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching ◽

10.1515/iral.2010.011 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 48 (2-3) ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Jason Rothman

Keyword(s):

Word Order ◽

Relative Clause ◽

Brazilian Portuguese ◽

Attachment Preference

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The Indefinite Article and the Restrictive Relative Clause in Italian

Lingvisticae Investigationes ◽

10.1075/li.11.2.02vie ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 253-281

Author(s):

Simonetta Vietri

Keyword(s):

Relative Clause ◽

Indefinite Article ◽

Premiere Partie

Cet article traite des phrases relatives restrictives attachées a un syn-tagme nominal avec déterminant indéfini en italien. Dans une première partie l'on montre que les valeurs "spécifique" et "non-spécifique" de l'article UN dépendent du temps-mode de la relative et ensuite des valeurs tempo-aspectuels du verbe de la phrase principale. L'analyse détaillée des entrées lexicales met en lumière l'existence d'au moins deux classes de verbes qui déterminent, en combinaison avec la relative et le temps-mode, des interprétations différentes de l'article UN.

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On the asymmetry between subject and object relative clauses in discourse context

Revista de Estudos da Linguagem ◽

10.17851/2237-2083.25.3.1225-1254 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 1225 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Renê Forster ◽

Letícia Maria Sicuro Corrêa

Keyword(s):

Lexical Access ◽

Sentence Processing ◽

Relative Clause ◽

Priming Effect ◽

Relative Clauses ◽

Contextual Information ◽

Contextual Effects ◽

Brazilian Portuguese ◽

Contextual Effect ◽

Object Relative

This paper investigates the possibility of an effect of contextual information during the processing of sentences containing subject relative clauses (SRCs) and object relative clauses (ORCs) in Brazilian Portuguese. The predictions from one-stage models and from syntaxoriented approaches to sentence processing are outlined. An eye-tracking experiment is reported in which SRCs and ORC were presented when preceded by narrative contexts that could either favor a subject or an object relative clause analysis. The results suggest that ORCs are harder to process when compared to SRCs, no matter what discourse contexts they are inserted in. The contextual effect obtained here can be ascribed to a pre-syntactic priming, ie. a priming effect which arises during lexical access. The possibility of pre- and post-syntactic contextual effects in the processing of RCs is discussed.

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WH-extractions and relative clauses in Brazilian Portuguese

DELTA Documentação de Estudos em Lingüística Teórica e Aplicada ◽

10.1590/s0102-44502000000300006 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 16 (spe) ◽

pp. 141-163

Author(s):

Esmeralda Vailati NEGRÃO

Keyword(s):

Relative Clause ◽

Relative Clauses ◽

Brazilian Portuguese ◽

The Other ◽

Subject Position ◽

Generative Theory ◽

The Subject ◽

Special Case

This paper aims to describe and explain WH-extraction patterns out of island contexts in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), by means of the principles established by Generative Theory. I claim that BP uses a strategy for the extraction of subjects which involves a special case of Agreement. Extractions out of relative islands are possible when the extracted WH-phrase ends up in the specifier position of the higher CP and from there it behaves as the subject of the predication. The subject-predicate relationship established under agreement makes Comp a proper governor for traces in subject position under its scope. The analysis proposed makes a distinction between two processes of relative clause formation. One in which que is an operator that transforms sentences into predicates and sits in the Comp position of a CP whose specifier can be occupied by a QP functioning as the subject of the predication. The other, in which que is a WH-word, traditionally treated as a pronoun, occupying the specifier position of a QP and introducing relative clauses as we know them.

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