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Syntactic Priming As a Test of Argument Structure: A Self-paced Reading Experiment
Isabel Oltra-Massuet1,2,3, Victoria Sharpe4, Kyriaki Neophytou2
1Department of English and German Studies, Rovira i Virgili UniversityTarragona, Spain.
Frontiers in Psychology
|September 2, 2017
Summary
This study on syntactic priming reveals that language processing aligns with interpretive semantics, not just argument structure. Findings suggest syntactic structures may not always directly mirror semantic event structures.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Computational Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Investigating competing theories of argument structure in linguistics.
- Examining the relationship between unergative and transitive syntactic structures.
- Understanding priming effects between different grammatical constructions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test two theoretical approaches to argument structure using behavioral data.
- To determine the predictive contribution of different syntactic models.
- To explore the link between representational complexity and language processing.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing data from a behavioral structural priming experiment.
- Employing statistical analyses including ANOVA, ANCOVA, and linear mixed effects models.
- Analyzing syntactic priming effects in language comprehension.
Main Results:
- Syntactic priming effects were observed in comprehension.
- Evidence supports a model favoring an interpretive semantics view of syntax.
- Results indicate syntactic structures may not always directly reflect argument/event structure.
Conclusions:
- The interpretive semantics view of syntax offers a stronger predictive model.
- Novel evidence links representational complexity to cognitive processing in language.
- Combining quantitative methods and theoretical linguistics advances syntactic research.
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