An ERP study of the processing of Mandarin classifiers
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Zhiying Qian
Abstract
Comprehension of Mandarin classifier-noun sequences was examined by comparing event-related brain potential (ERP) responses to classifier-noun matches (一张纸; a sheet of paper) and mismatches (一张咖啡; a sheet of coffee). One goal was to determine which ERP components are sensitive to such matches, as a clue about the nature of the underlying combinatorial processes. Another goal was to examine effects of classifier constraint strength (a piece of … vs a sheet of …) on anticipation of the subsequent noun. Results showed that nouns evoked larger N400 in mismatching classifier-noun sequences, suggesting that combinatorial processing was primarily semantic. General classifiers evoked a larger sustained frontal negativity than specific classifiers, reflecting effects of constraint strength on anticipation of the upcoming noun. In addition, classifier presence was manipulated. The classifier-absent condition evoked a P600 in the first half of the experiment and an Anterior Negativity in the second half, suggesting that readers changed processing strategy over time.
Abstract
Comprehension of Mandarin classifier-noun sequences was examined by comparing event-related brain potential (ERP) responses to classifier-noun matches (一张纸; a sheet of paper) and mismatches (一张咖啡; a sheet of coffee). One goal was to determine which ERP components are sensitive to such matches, as a clue about the nature of the underlying combinatorial processes. Another goal was to examine effects of classifier constraint strength (a piece of … vs a sheet of …) on anticipation of the subsequent noun. Results showed that nouns evoked larger N400 in mismatching classifier-noun sequences, suggesting that combinatorial processing was primarily semantic. General classifiers evoked a larger sustained frontal negativity than specific classifiers, reflecting effects of constraint strength on anticipation of the upcoming noun. In addition, classifier presence was manipulated. The classifier-absent condition evoked a P600 in the first half of the experiment and an Anterior Negativity in the second half, suggesting that readers changed processing strategy over time.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgments xi
- Integrating Chinese linguistic research and language teaching and learning xiii
- The emergence of verb argument structure in Mandarin Chinese 1
- A corpus linguistics approach to the research and teaching of Chinese as a second language 13
- Facilitating language learning 33
- An ERP study of the processing of Mandarin classifiers 59
- Explicit, implicit and metalinguistic knowledge in L2 Chinese 81
- Metalinguistic awareness and self-repair in Chinese language learning 97
- De-stressed words in Mandarin: drawing parallel with English 121
- Prosody and discourse functions of ranhou 然后 145
- Patterns of plural NP + dou (都) expressions in conversational discourse and their pedagogical implications 169
- Prominence marking in second language Chinese tones 195
- A multi-dimensional corpus study of mixed compounds in Chinese 215
- Index 239
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Acknowledgments xi
- Integrating Chinese linguistic research and language teaching and learning xiii
- The emergence of verb argument structure in Mandarin Chinese 1
- A corpus linguistics approach to the research and teaching of Chinese as a second language 13
- Facilitating language learning 33
- An ERP study of the processing of Mandarin classifiers 59
- Explicit, implicit and metalinguistic knowledge in L2 Chinese 81
- Metalinguistic awareness and self-repair in Chinese language learning 97
- De-stressed words in Mandarin: drawing parallel with English 121
- Prosody and discourse functions of ranhou 然后 145
- Patterns of plural NP + dou (都) expressions in conversational discourse and their pedagogical implications 169
- Prominence marking in second language Chinese tones 195
- A multi-dimensional corpus study of mixed compounds in Chinese 215
- Index 239
