Relative clause attachment preferences of Turkish L2 speakers of English
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Nazik Dinçtopal-Deniz
Abstract
Monolingual Turkish speakers, highly proficient Turkish speakers of English as a second language (L2), and native English speakers participated in online self-paced reading tasks and offline pen-and-paper questionnaires testing the processing of relative clause (RC) attachment ambiguities. Experimental stimuli in the online task consisted of temporarily and globally ambiguous sentences. Temporarily ambiguous sentences were disambiguated using animacy information carried by the NPs in the complex genitive NP. The offline task consisted of globally ambiguous sentences. The results of the online and offline tasks showed that both first language (L1) groups preferred to attach the RC to the low noun phrase (NP), both with animate and inanimate antecedents. Results for the L2 group, however, differed in the online and offline tasks. In the online task, they preferred to attach the RC high with animate antecedents, but showed a tendency to attach it low with inanimate antecedents. In the offline task, on the other hand, they showed a high attachment preference throughout. Results are discussed in relation to the Shallow Structure Hypothesis of Clahsen and Felser (Clahsen & Felser, 2006a, 2006b, 2006c).
Abstract
Monolingual Turkish speakers, highly proficient Turkish speakers of English as a second language (L2), and native English speakers participated in online self-paced reading tasks and offline pen-and-paper questionnaires testing the processing of relative clause (RC) attachment ambiguities. Experimental stimuli in the online task consisted of temporarily and globally ambiguous sentences. Temporarily ambiguous sentences were disambiguated using animacy information carried by the NPs in the complex genitive NP. The offline task consisted of globally ambiguous sentences. The results of the online and offline tasks showed that both first language (L1) groups preferred to attach the RC to the low noun phrase (NP), both with animate and inanimate antecedents. Results for the L2 group, however, differed in the online and offline tasks. In the online task, they preferred to attach the RC high with animate antecedents, but showed a tendency to attach it low with inanimate antecedents. In the offline task, on the other hand, they showed a high attachment preference throughout. Results are discussed in relation to the Shallow Structure Hypothesis of Clahsen and Felser (Clahsen & Felser, 2006a, 2006b, 2006c).
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
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Part I. Introduction
- Second language processing and parsing 3
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Part II. Relative clauses and wh -movement
- Relative clause attachment preferences of Turkish L2 speakers of English 27
- Evidence of syntactic constraints in the processing of wh -movement 65
- Constraints on L2 learners’ processing of wh-dependencies 87
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Part III. Gender and number
- The effects of linear distance and working memory on the processing of gender agreement in Spanish 113
- Feature assembly in early stages of L2 acquisition 135
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Part IV. Subjects and objects
- Second language processing in Japanese scrambled sentences 159
- Second language gap processing of Japanese scrambling under a Simpler Syntax account 177
- The processing of subject-object ambiguities by English and Dutch L2 learners of German 207
- Connections between processing, production and placement 231
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Part V. Phonology and lexicon
- The exploitation of fine phonetic detail in the processing of L2 French 259
- Translation ambiguity 281
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Part VI. Prosody and context
- Reading aloud in two languages 297
- Near-nativelike processing of contrastive focus in L2 French 321
- Author index 345
- Subject index 349
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part I. Introduction
- Second language processing and parsing 3
-
Part II. Relative clauses and wh -movement
- Relative clause attachment preferences of Turkish L2 speakers of English 27
- Evidence of syntactic constraints in the processing of wh -movement 65
- Constraints on L2 learners’ processing of wh-dependencies 87
-
Part III. Gender and number
- The effects of linear distance and working memory on the processing of gender agreement in Spanish 113
- Feature assembly in early stages of L2 acquisition 135
-
Part IV. Subjects and objects
- Second language processing in Japanese scrambled sentences 159
- Second language gap processing of Japanese scrambling under a Simpler Syntax account 177
- The processing of subject-object ambiguities by English and Dutch L2 learners of German 207
- Connections between processing, production and placement 231
-
Part V. Phonology and lexicon
- The exploitation of fine phonetic detail in the processing of L2 French 259
- Translation ambiguity 281
-
Part VI. Prosody and context
- Reading aloud in two languages 297
- Near-nativelike processing of contrastive focus in L2 French 321
- Author index 345
- Subject index 349