Chapter 7. Structural change and ambiguity resolution in L2 learners of English
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Shaohua Fang
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of structural changes for verbs in second language (L2) ambiguity resolution. Two types of verbs were examined: those taking a noun phrase (NP) or no complements (Z) (e.g., to type, NP/Z verbs), and those taking either an (NP) or a sentence (S) (e.g., to understand, NP/S verbs). A self-paced reading experiment found that Chinese-speaking learners of English, like first-language (L1) English speakers, took longer to process disambiguating regions in ambiguous sentences compared to corresponding regions in unambiguous sentences. Moreover, NP/Z verbs posed greater difficulty than NP/S verbs, especially in ambiguous sentences, for both speaker groups. This suggests a garden-path effect in learners, indicating that structural information from verbs influences L2 processing similarly to L1 processing.
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of structural changes for verbs in second language (L2) ambiguity resolution. Two types of verbs were examined: those taking a noun phrase (NP) or no complements (Z) (e.g., to type, NP/Z verbs), and those taking either an (NP) or a sentence (S) (e.g., to understand, NP/S verbs). A self-paced reading experiment found that Chinese-speaking learners of English, like first-language (L1) English speakers, took longer to process disambiguating regions in ambiguous sentences compared to corresponding regions in unambiguous sentences. Moreover, NP/Z verbs posed greater difficulty than NP/S verbs, especially in ambiguous sentences, for both speaker groups. This suggests a garden-path effect in learners, indicating that structural information from verbs influences L2 processing similarly to L1 processing.
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
Section A. (Null) subjects and anaphora resolution
- Chapter 1. What the acquisition of Japanese vs. Chinese contributes to generative approaches to SLA 10
- Chapter 2. Extending the Decreased Activation Hypothesis 37
- Chapter 3. Complements and adjuncts of one in L2 English noun drop 63
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Section B. The nominal domain
- Chapter 4. Second language acquisition of English plurals by Chinese learners 88
- Chapter 5. Revisiting plurality in SLA 111
- Chapter 6. L2 acquisition of English flexible count and flexible mass nouns by L1-Japanese and L1-Spanish speakers 134
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Section C. Sensitivity in L2 processing & ambiguity resolution
- Chapter 7. Structural change and ambiguity resolution in L2 learners of English 172
- Chapter 8. Offline L2-English relative clause attachment preferences 197
- Chapter 9. Sensitivity to silently structured interveners 220
- Chapter 10. Sensitivity to event structure in passives supports deep processing in L1 and L2 238
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Section D. Forms and representations at the interfaces
- Chapter 11. “And yet it moves” 264
- Chapter 12. There isn’t a problem with indefinites in existential constructions in L2-English 290
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Section E. Factors in bi- and multilingual development
- Chapter 13. UG-as-Guide in selection and reassembly of an uninterpretable feature in L2 acquisition of wh -questions 316
- Chapter 14. The narrative skills of Russian-Cypriot Greek children 349
- Chapter 15. Multilingualism, linguistic diversity, and English in India 374
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 401
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
Section A. (Null) subjects and anaphora resolution
- Chapter 1. What the acquisition of Japanese vs. Chinese contributes to generative approaches to SLA 10
- Chapter 2. Extending the Decreased Activation Hypothesis 37
- Chapter 3. Complements and adjuncts of one in L2 English noun drop 63
-
Section B. The nominal domain
- Chapter 4. Second language acquisition of English plurals by Chinese learners 88
- Chapter 5. Revisiting plurality in SLA 111
- Chapter 6. L2 acquisition of English flexible count and flexible mass nouns by L1-Japanese and L1-Spanish speakers 134
-
Section C. Sensitivity in L2 processing & ambiguity resolution
- Chapter 7. Structural change and ambiguity resolution in L2 learners of English 172
- Chapter 8. Offline L2-English relative clause attachment preferences 197
- Chapter 9. Sensitivity to silently structured interveners 220
- Chapter 10. Sensitivity to event structure in passives supports deep processing in L1 and L2 238
-
Section D. Forms and representations at the interfaces
- Chapter 11. “And yet it moves” 264
- Chapter 12. There isn’t a problem with indefinites in existential constructions in L2-English 290
-
Section E. Factors in bi- and multilingual development
- Chapter 13. UG-as-Guide in selection and reassembly of an uninterpretable feature in L2 acquisition of wh -questions 316
- Chapter 14. The narrative skills of Russian-Cypriot Greek children 349
- Chapter 15. Multilingualism, linguistic diversity, and English in India 374
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 401
