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Cross-linguistic differences in incremental planning under uncertainty
Arella E Gussow1, Maryellen C MacDonald2
1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States.
Cognition
|June 27, 2026
Summary
Speakers adapt their language planning based on message uncertainty and grammar. Cross-linguistic differences show how languages influence incremental planning during speech production.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Language production often occurs under time pressure, requiring speakers to initiate speech before full message formulation.
- Incremental planning allows speakers to continue message formulation as more information becomes available during speech.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how speakers utilize incremental planning for event description under message uncertainty.
- Examine cross-linguistic variations in speech planning strategies.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: English speakers described motion events with manipulated target location certainty.
- Experiment 2: Compared planning strategies of English and Spanish speakers.
- Experiment 3: Assessed Spanish speakers' pre-planning of gender-marked articles for uncertain targets.
Main Results:
- Under uncertainty, English speakers delayed speech onset but planned incrementally after speaking began, indicated by longer durations and more pauses.
- Spanish speakers exhibited more incremental planning than English speakers, facilitated by flexible word order.
- Spanish speakers did not pre-plan gender-marked articles for uncertain targets when grammatical gender was shared.
Conclusions:
- The balance between advance planning and incrementality is influenced by message properties and language-specific grammatical structures.
- Speakers demonstrate flexibility in adapting planning strategies to contextual demands, including message uncertainty.
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