scholarly journals Language Processing at Its Trickiest: Grammatical Illusions and Heuristics of Judgment

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Evelina Leivada
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

Humans are intuitively good at providing judgments about what forms part of their native language and what does not. Although such judgments are robust, consistent, and reliable, human cognition is demonstrably fallible to illusions of various types. Language is no exception. In the linguistic domain, several types of sentences have been shown to trick the parser into giving them a high acceptability judgment despite their ill-formedness. One example is the so-called comparative illusion (‘More people have been to Tromsø than I have’). To this day, comparative illusions have been tested mainly with monolingual, neurotypical speakers of English. The present research aims to broaden our understanding of this phenomenon by putting it to test in two populations that differ in one crucial factor: the number of languages they speak. A timed acceptability judgment task was administered to monolingual speakers of Standard Greek and bi(dia)lectal speakers of Standard and Cypriot Greek. The results are not fully in line with any of the semantic re-analyses proposed for the illusion so far, hence a new proposal is offered about what interpretation induces the illusion, appreciating the influence of both grammatical processing and cognitive heuristics. Second, the results reveal an effect of developmental trajectory. This effect may be linked to an enhanced ability to spot the illusion in bi(dia)lectals, but several factors can be identified as possible culprits behind this result. After discussing each of them, it is argued that having two grammars may facilitate the setting of a higher processing threshold, something that would entail decreased fallibility to grammatical illusions.

The time-course of morphological constraints

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Cunnings ◽  
Harald Clahsen
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
General Constraint ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Eye Movements During Reading ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

The avoidance of regular but not irregular plurals inside compounds (e.g., *rats eater vs. mice eater) has been one of the most widely studied morphological phenomena in the psycholinguistics literature. To examine whether the constraints that are responsible for this contrast have any general significance beyond compounding, we investigated derived word forms containing regular and irregular plurals in two experiments. Experiment 1 was an offline acceptability judgment task, and Experiment 2 measured eye movements during reading derived words containing regular and irregular plurals and uninflected base nouns. The results from both experiments show that the constraint against regular plurals inside compounds generalizes to derived words. We argue that this constraint cannot be reduced to phonological properties, but is instead morphological in nature. The eye-movement data provide detailed information on the time-course of processing derived word forms indicating that early stages of processing are affected by a general constraint that disallows inflected words from feeding derivational processes, and that the more specific constraint against regular plurals comes in at a subsequent later stage of processing. We argue that these results are consistent with stage-based models of language processing.

Syntactic creativity in second language English: wh-scope marking in Japanese-English interlanguage

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Native Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Production Experiment ◽  
On Line ◽  
Question Formation ◽  
Japanese English ◽  
Complex Question ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

This article documents a fairly rare kind of interlanguage phenomenon, namely one in which interlanguages exhibit syntactic constructions that are grammatical neither in a learner’s native language nor in his or her target language, but are nevertheless typologically attested. The target construction is wh-scope marking, a cross-linguistically attested form of complex question formation. Using an elicited production experiment, an off-line acceptability judgment task and an on-line acceptability judgment task, it is argued that wh-scope marking is a genuine phenomenon in Japanese—English interlanguages despite the fact that it is ungrammatical both in English and in Japanese. Given that the acquisition of wh-scope marking cannot be explained by these learners’ first language nor by their target language, the current study investigates what other mechanism these learners might be drawing on in their acquisition process. The article proposes that wh-scope marking in Japanese—English interlanguages results from a simplification strategy that learners adopt in order to ease the processing burden.

L2 Spanish preverbal ‘se’ in analysis and production data

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marciano Escutia López
Keyword(s):  
Native Language ◽  
Universal Grammar ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Production Data ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
English Speaker ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

This study looks at both the knowledge and use of the Spanish pronoun se mainly with unaccusative predicates in the interlanguage of an adult English speaker learning Spanish as a Second Language (L2) in a native, non-institutional setting. Data recorded from the learner’s production along with other similar data were presented to him as a written acceptability judgment task. A comparison was made with the outcome of the task in order to have a more comprehensive view of his linguistic competence. The results seem to confirm those of previous studies in that the learner overgeneralizes the use of the clitic se. They also suggest that the development of L2 knowledge may involve a process of construction resulting in structures not present either in the native language (L1) or the L2, which show in certain fossilized errors. It is argued that these structures originate in the interaction of Universal Grammar principles and both L1 and L2 influence.

scholarly journals Specific and generic subjects in the Italian of German–Italian simultaneous bilinguals and L2 learners

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 736-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
TANJA KUPISCH
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Truth Value ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

This study investigates definite articles in specific and generic subject nominals in Italian spoken by adult simultaneous bilinguals (2L1ers) and second language learners (L2ers). The study focuses on plural and mass DPs, in which German and Italian differ. The aims are to (i) compare acquisition outcomes between the weaker and the stronger language in 2L1 acquisition, (ii) see in a comparison with L2ers whether the phenomenon under investigation, which is typically acquired late (after age 6;0), lacks age of onset effects, and (iii) discuss predictions for the directionality of cross-linguistic influence. Twenty German–Italian 2L1ers and 15 advanced L2ers of Italian with German as their native language were tested in an acceptability judgment task and a truth value judgment task. The results show clear differences between Italian as the weaker and as the stronger language in 2L1 acquisition, and similarities between Italian as L2 and as the weaker language in 2L1 acquisition.

Cross-linguistic influence in the second language processing of Korean morphological and syntactic causative constructions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Hee Park ◽  
Hyunwoo Kim
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Target Structure ◽  
Second Language Processing ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Japanese Speakers ◽  
Syntactic Information ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

Abstract This study investigated the effects of cross-linguistic influence in Japanese speakers’ integration of morphological and syntactic information during the processing of Korean transitive causative constructions. We examined whether Japanese speakers would process two types of Korean causative constructions as efficiently as native speakers: (a) when one target structure was instantiated differently from learners’ L1 correspondents and (b) when the other type was unique to the L2. Although the learners showed native-like performance during an acceptability judgment task, they had difficulties with the integration of morphological and syntactic information during a self-paced reading task when the target construction gave rise to cross-linguistic competitions with the L1 correspondent, but not when the target construction was unique to the L1. Our findings support the claim that cross-linguistic cue competitions are a major source of difficulties in L2 sentence processing.

Processing subject focus across two Spanish varieties

Probus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-127
Author(s):  
Bradley Hoot ◽  
Tania Leal
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Final Position ◽  
Reading Task ◽  
New Information ◽  
Basic Facts

AbstractLinguists have keenly studied the realization of focus – the part of the sentence introducing new information – because it involves the interaction of different linguistic modules. Syntacticians have argued that Spanish uses word order for information-structural purposes, marking focused constituents via rightmost movement. However, recent studies have challenged this claim. To contribute sentence-processing evidence, we conducted a self-paced reading task and a judgment task with Mexican and Catalonian Spanish speakers. We found that movement to final position can signal focus in Spanish, in contrast to the aforementioned work. We contextualize our results within the literature, identifying three basic facts that theories of Spanish focus and theories of language processing should explain, and advance a fourth: that mismatches in information-structural expectations can induce processing delays. Finally, we propose that some differences in the existing experimental results may stem from methodological differences.

scholarly journals Limits on expectation-based processing: Use of grammatical aspect for co-reference in L2

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Theres Grüter ◽  
Hannah Rohde
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Real Time Processing ◽  
Time Processing ◽  
Grammatical Aspect ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Reference Processing

Abstract This study examines the use of discourse-level information to create expectations about reference in real-time processing, testing whether patterns previously observed among native speakers of English generalize to nonnative speakers. Findings from a visual-world eye-tracking experiment show that native (L1; N = 53) but not nonnative (L2; N = 52) listeners’ proactive coreference expectations are modulated by grammatical aspect in transfer-of-possession events. Results from an offline judgment task show these L2 participants did not differ from L1 speakers in their interpretation of aspect marking on transfer-of-possession predicates in English, indicating it is not lack of linguistic knowledge but utilization of this knowledge in real-time processing that distinguishes the groups. English proficiency, although varying substantially within the L2 group, did not modulate L2 listeners’ use of grammatical aspect for reference processing. These findings contribute to the broader endeavor of delineating the role of prediction in human language processing in general, and in the processing of discourse-level information among L2 users in particular.

scholarly journals Intonational effects on English scopally-ambiguous sentences

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-36
Author(s):  
Mien-Jen Wu ◽  
Tania Ionin
Keyword(s):  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Subject Position ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Universal Quantifier ◽  
Sentential Negation ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

This paper examines the effect of intonation contour on two types of scopally ambiguous constructions in English: configurations with a universal quantifier in subject position and sentential negation (e.g., Every horse didn’t jump) and configurations with quantifiers in both subject and object positions (e.g., A girl saw every boy). There is much prior literature on the relationship between the fall-rise intonation and availability of inverse scope with quantifier-negation configurations. The present study has two objectives: (1) to examine whether the role of intonation in facilitating inverse scope is restricted to this configuration, or whether it extends to double-quantifier configurations as well; and (2) to examine whether fall-rise intonation fully disambiguates the sentence, or only facilitates inverse scope. These questions were investigated experimentally, via an auditory acceptability judgment task, in which native English speakers rated the acceptability of auditorily presented sentences in contexts matching surface-scope vs. inverse-scope readings. The results provide evidence that fall-rise intonation facilitates the inverse-scope readings of English quantifier-negation configurations (supporting findings from prior literature), but not those of double-quantifier configurations.

scholarly journals From Text to Thought: How Analyzing Language Can Advance Psychological Science

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Conrad Jackson ◽  
Joseph Watts ◽  
Johann-Mattis List ◽  
Ryan Drabble ◽  
Kristen Lindquist
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Comparative Linguistics ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Language Analysis ◽  
The Mind

Humans have been using language for thousands of years, but psychologists seldom consider what natural language can tell us about the mind. Here we propose that language offers a unique window into human cognition. After briefly summarizing the legacy of language analyses in psychological science, we show how methodological advances have made these analyses more feasible and insightful than ever before. In particular, we describe how two forms of language analysis—comparative linguistics and natural language processing—are already contributing to how we understand emotion, creativity, and religion, and overcoming methodological obstacles related to statistical power and culturally diverse samples. We summarize resources for learning both of these methods, and highlight the best way to combine language analysis techniques with behavioral paradigms. Applying language analysis to large-scale and cross-cultural datasets promises to provide major breakthroughs in psychological science.

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