Previous psycholinguistics studies have shown that when forming a long distance dependency in online processing, the parser sometimes accepts sentence even though required grammatical constraints are only partially met. A mechanistic account of how such errors arise sheds light on both underlying linguistic representations involved and processing mechanisms put together. In current study, we contrast negative polarity items (NPI) interference effect, as by acceptance an ungrammatical like...

Both relative adjectives (RAs) like ‘big’ and absolute (AAs) ‘empty’ are sensitive to the context: in former case, context determines how much size is required count as big; latter, deviation from total emptiness allowed empty. Whereas it generally agreed that role of with RAs fix value a threshold variable, status adjective thresholds, therefore their interpretation, remains an object debate. Some researchers have argued all gradable context-sensitive variables assigned values by same...

In two ERP experiments, we asked whether comprehenders used the concessive connective, even so, to predict upcoming events. Participants read coherent and incoherent scenarios, with without e.g. "Elizabeth had a history exam on Monday. She took test aced/failed it. (Even so), she went home celebrated wildly.", as they rated coherence (Experiment 1) or simply answered intermittent comprehension questions 2). The semantic function of so was reverse real-world knowledge predictions, leading an...

Gradable adjectives (GAs) provide an ideal domain for evaluating theories of the interface betwen semantic interpretation and context: relative absolute GAs are both context dependent, but can have precise meanings in a way that cannot. We processing evidence hypothesis imprecision is pragmatic phenomenon: thresholds semantically scalar endpoints, imprecise uses derived by global threshold, which specifies how much deviation from literal meaning pragmatically ignorable (see e.g. Lasersohn...

Abstract Scalar inference (SI), e.g., utterances containing some being enriched to mean but not all , is a central topic in semantics and pragmatics. Of recent interest the experimental literature scalar diversity: different lexical scales differ their likelihood of leading SI. Studies diversity have almost exclusively relied on so-called task. In this article, we highlight two shortcomings task: it biases participants by providing them with stronger alternative, obscures pragmatic...

Abstract Language comprehension is compositional: individual words are combined structurally to form larger meaning representations. The neural basis for compositionality at the center of a growing body recent research. Previous work has largely used univariate analysis investigate question, technique that could potentially lead loss fined‐grained information due procedure averaging over responses. In functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, present study examined different types...

In the present study we report two self-paced reading experiments that investigate antecedent retrieval processes in sentence comprehension by contrasting real-time processing behavior of different reflexive anaphors Mandarin Chinese. Previous work has suggested comprehenders initially evaluate fit between morphologically simple long-distance "ziji" and closest available subject position, only subsequently considering more structurally distant antecedents (Gao et al., 2005; Liu, 2009; Li...

The time course of semantic and syntactic processing in reading Chinese was examined by recording event-related brain potentials (ERPs) as native speakers read individually presented sentences for comprehension performed plausibility judgments. transitivity the verbs ba/bei constructions manipulated to form three types stimuli: Congruent (CON), with violation (SEM), combined (SEM+SYN). Compared critical words CON, those SEM SEM+SYN elicited an N400-P600 biphasic pattern. N400 effects both...

Sentence-initial temporal clauses headed by before, as in "Before the scientist submitted paper, journal changed its policy", have been shown to elicit sustained negative-going brain potentials compared maximally similar after, "After policy". Such effects may be due either one of two potential causes: before more difficult than after because they cause events sentence mentioned an order opposite which actually occurred, or are ambiguous with regard whether event described clause happened....

Previous research has revealed that different scalar expressions give rise to inferences (SIs) at rates. This variation been termed diversity. In this study, we investigate the role of Questions Under Discussion (QUDs) in explaining SI Investigating 43 expressions, first show explicit QUDs robustly affect calculation rates: questions based on stronger two terms lead higher rates than promoting weaker one. Second, explore whether likelihood asking question general (Question Availability) can...

Abstract While a large body of work in sentence comprehension has explored how different types linguistic information are used to guide syntactic parsing, less is known about the effect discourse structure. This study investigates this question, focusing on main and subordinate contrast manifested distinction between restrictive relative clauses (RRCs) appositive (ARCs) American English. In three self‐paced reading experiments, we examined whether both RRCs ARCs interfere with matrix clause...

In sentence comprehension, negative sentences tend to elicit more processing cost than affirmative sentences. A growing body of work has shown that pragmatic context is an important factor contributes negation comprehension cost. The nature this effect, however, yet be determined. 4 behavioral experiments, the current study assesses 2 possible accounts: expectation-based and informativity-based accounts. Our findings suggest informativity, instead contextual expectation, directly responsible...

Memory limitations and probabilistic expectations are two key factors that have been posited to play a role in the incremental processing of natural language. Relative clauses (RCs) long served as proving ground for such theories language processing. Across three self-paced reading experiments, we test online comprehension Hungarian subject- object-extracted RCs (SRCs ORCs, respectively). We capitalize on syntactic properties allow variety word orders within RCs, which helps us delineate...

Antilocality effects provide strong evidence for expectation-based sentence parsing models. Previous discussion of the antilocality effect, however, largely focused on argument-verb dependencies in verb-final constructions, which a memory retrieval-based account has been argued to be equally adequate. To test whether principles expectation/memory-based accounts hold wider range dependencies, we report two self-paced reading experiments that compared different determiners German:...

Scalar inference (SI), e.g., utterances containing the quantifier some being enriched to mean but not all, is a central topic in semantics-pragmatics. Of recent interest experimental literature phenomenon of scalar diversity: that different lexical scales exhibit variation how likely they are lead SI. However, studies diversity have almost exclusively relied on particular task: task. In this paper, we argue task suffers from number shortcomings: namely, it biases by providing participants...