Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension
Although sentences are thought to be generally easier to process when given information precedes new information, closer examination reveals that these preferences only manifest within some syntactic structures. Here, we examine the consequences of the relative ordering of given and new information...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Elsevier
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102464 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5912-883X |
| _version_ | 1826208473906413568 |
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| author | Brown, Meredith Savova, Virginia Gibson, Edward A. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Brown, Meredith Savova, Virginia Gibson, Edward A. |
| author_sort | Brown, Meredith |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Although sentences are thought to be generally easier to process when given information precedes new information, closer examination reveals that these preferences only manifest within some syntactic structures. Here, we examine the consequences of the relative ordering of given and new information (information structure) for the on-line comprehension of prepositional-object (PO) and double-object (DO) dative sentences. Experiment 1 demonstrated using self-paced reading that the on-line comprehension of DO structures, but not PO structures, is more difficult with new-before-given information structure. Experiment 2 assessed the comprehension of dative sentences with animate themes to evaluate two potential sources of this interaction: information-structural constraints encoded within syntactic representations (argument structure hypothesis) vs. word-to-word contingency statistics (linear position hypothesis). Despite experiment-wise differences in word-to-word contingency statistics, the interaction between syntactic structure and information structure persisted in Experiment 2. Taken together, these results suggest that syntactic representations can include information-structural constraints on their arguments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:06:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/102464 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:06:14Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1024642022-09-28T18:29:48Z Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension Brown, Meredith Savova, Virginia Gibson, Edward A. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Linguistics and Philosophy Gibson, Edward A. Savova, Virginia Gibson, Edward A. Although sentences are thought to be generally easier to process when given information precedes new information, closer examination reveals that these preferences only manifest within some syntactic structures. Here, we examine the consequences of the relative ordering of given and new information (information structure) for the on-line comprehension of prepositional-object (PO) and double-object (DO) dative sentences. Experiment 1 demonstrated using self-paced reading that the on-line comprehension of DO structures, but not PO structures, is more difficult with new-before-given information structure. Experiment 2 assessed the comprehension of dative sentences with animate themes to evaluate two potential sources of this interaction: information-structural constraints encoded within syntactic representations (argument structure hypothesis) vs. word-to-word contingency statistics (linear position hypothesis). Despite experiment-wise differences in word-to-word contingency statistics, the interaction between syntactic structure and information structure persisted in Experiment 2. Taken together, these results suggest that syntactic representations can include information-structural constraints on their arguments. Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (Grant N00014-07-1-0937) United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Grant NBCH-D-03-0010) 2016-05-12T13:45:55Z 2016-05-12T13:45:55Z 2011-09 2011-08 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0749596X 1096-0821 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102464 Brown, Meredith, Virginia Savova, and Edward Gibson. “Syntax Encodes Information Structure: Evidence from on-Line Reading Comprehension.” Journal of Memory and Language 66, no. 1 (January 2012): 194–209. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5912-883X en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2011.08.006 Journal of Memory and Language Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ application/pdf Elsevier Prof. Gibson |
| spellingShingle | Brown, Meredith Savova, Virginia Gibson, Edward A. Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension |
| title | Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension |
| title_full | Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension |
| title_fullStr | Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension |
| title_full_unstemmed | Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension |
| title_short | Syntax encodes information structure: Evidence from on-line reading comprehension |
| title_sort | syntax encodes information structure evidence from on line reading comprehension |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102464 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5912-883X |
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