Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading task
IntroductionStudies with heritage language speakers (HLS) have often used offline measurements, investigating the post-interpretive effects which emerge after processing has been completed. Relatively few studies have investigated heritage language processing using time-sensitive methods that allow...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1070510/full |
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| author | Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Seçkin Arslan Lyndsey Nickels |
| author_facet | Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Seçkin Arslan Lyndsey Nickels |
| author_sort | Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionStudies with heritage language speakers (HLS) have often used offline measurements, investigating the post-interpretive effects which emerge after processing has been completed. Relatively few studies have investigated heritage language processing using time-sensitive methods that allow the collection of evidence regarding real-time language processing rather than post-interpretive judgments. Using a self-paced-reading paradigm, we aimed to expand our understanding of HLS language processing by investigating evidentiality-the linguistic marking of information source, which is grammatically expressed in Turkish, but not in English.MethodParticipants were 54 bilingual speakers of Turkish and English: 24 HLS (English onset: 0-5 yrs) and 30 emigrant Turkish speakers (ES) who grew up in Turkey before emigrating to Australia (English onset = 6-17 yrs). Participants read sentences with evidential-marked verb forms that either matched or mismatched to the information source context. Word-by-word reading times and end-of-sentence acceptability judgment speed and accuracy were measured.ResultsThe results showed that although the HLS' responses were slower and less accurate than the ES in both reading times and end-of-sentence acceptability judgments, they showed similarities in online processing patterns. Both groups were faster at reading the mismatching sentences compared to the matching sentences; however, this pattern emerged during the time course of reading first for the indirect condition for the ES, and only later for the direct condition and for the HLS for both evidential conditions. Only HLS read faster in the target region with the direct evidential that is shown to be acquired earlier in childhood, than they did for the indirect evidential which is mastered later. In contrast, the end-of-sentence judgment data showed that while the ES group responded faster to matching direct sentences than matching indirect, this effect was missing for the HLS. Nevertheless, there were similar patterns for accuracy across evidential conditions: both groups were more accurate with the direct evidential.DiscussionOverall, the use of the self-paced-reading paradigm allowed insights into HLS' evidentiality processing above and beyond their generally slower and less accurate processing compared to the reference group. This study provides further evidence for differences in the patterns observed using online vs. post interpretive measures in HLS, reinforcing the importance of combining these methodologies for further understanding of HLS competence and performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:35:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7e909b8512e47c4b58563a1e14e4947 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:35:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7e909b8512e47c4b58563a1e14e49472023-09-22T16:42:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2023-09-01810.3389/fcomm.2023.10705101070510Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading taskSuzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer0Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer1Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer2Seçkin Arslan3Lyndsey Nickels4International Doctorate for Experimental Approaches to Language and Brain (IDEALAB), University of Groningen, Netherlands/University of Newcastle, United Kingdom/University of Potsdam, Germany and Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaCenter for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsSchool of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaUniversité Côte d'Azur & CNRS, Nice, FranceSchool of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaIntroductionStudies with heritage language speakers (HLS) have often used offline measurements, investigating the post-interpretive effects which emerge after processing has been completed. Relatively few studies have investigated heritage language processing using time-sensitive methods that allow the collection of evidence regarding real-time language processing rather than post-interpretive judgments. Using a self-paced-reading paradigm, we aimed to expand our understanding of HLS language processing by investigating evidentiality-the linguistic marking of information source, which is grammatically expressed in Turkish, but not in English.MethodParticipants were 54 bilingual speakers of Turkish and English: 24 HLS (English onset: 0-5 yrs) and 30 emigrant Turkish speakers (ES) who grew up in Turkey before emigrating to Australia (English onset = 6-17 yrs). Participants read sentences with evidential-marked verb forms that either matched or mismatched to the information source context. Word-by-word reading times and end-of-sentence acceptability judgment speed and accuracy were measured.ResultsThe results showed that although the HLS' responses were slower and less accurate than the ES in both reading times and end-of-sentence acceptability judgments, they showed similarities in online processing patterns. Both groups were faster at reading the mismatching sentences compared to the matching sentences; however, this pattern emerged during the time course of reading first for the indirect condition for the ES, and only later for the direct condition and for the HLS for both evidential conditions. Only HLS read faster in the target region with the direct evidential that is shown to be acquired earlier in childhood, than they did for the indirect evidential which is mastered later. In contrast, the end-of-sentence judgment data showed that while the ES group responded faster to matching direct sentences than matching indirect, this effect was missing for the HLS. Nevertheless, there were similar patterns for accuracy across evidential conditions: both groups were more accurate with the direct evidential.DiscussionOverall, the use of the self-paced-reading paradigm allowed insights into HLS' evidentiality processing above and beyond their generally slower and less accurate processing compared to the reference group. This study provides further evidence for differences in the patterns observed using online vs. post interpretive measures in HLS, reinforcing the importance of combining these methodologies for further understanding of HLS competence and performance.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1070510/fullheritage language speakersevidentialityTurkishsentence comprehensionTurkish-English bilingualsself-paced reading (SPR) |
| spellingShingle | Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Suzan D. Tokaç-Scheffer Seçkin Arslan Lyndsey Nickels Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading task Frontiers in Communication heritage language speakers evidentiality Turkish sentence comprehension Turkish-English bilinguals self-paced reading (SPR) |
| title | Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading task |
| title_full | Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading task |
| title_fullStr | Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading task |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading task |
| title_short | Insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in Turkish heritage speakers using a self-paced reading task |
| title_sort | insights into the time course of evidentiality processing in turkish heritage speakers using a self paced reading task |
| topic | heritage language speakers evidentiality Turkish sentence comprehension Turkish-English bilinguals self-paced reading (SPR) |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1070510/full |
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