Processing Dutch sentence structures

This paper summarizes existing research on syntactic processing of Dutch sentences by adult native speakers of the language, with an eye to the implications of this work for a general theory of the human sentence processing mechanism (HSPM). The principles underlying the assignment of phrase structure and the binding of traces seem to be the same as those proposed for languages like English or Italian. For example, no delays of analysis exist in parsing the constituents of a phrase even if the phrase is head-final. Also, the obligatory topicalization of a constituent which is required in the highest clause of a Dutch sentence does not appear to result in trace postulation principles distinct from those operative in languages where topicalization is optional. The studies reviewed also address questions concerning the complexity of the dependency between a moved constituent and its trace as measured by the length of a path vs. the length of a chain, the processing of subject gaps following an overt complementizer, the complexity of interpreting an adjunct moved from an obligatory position, and the processing of discontinuous words. Though the studies do not pose a problem for pre-existing views of the HSPM, they do highlight certain areas of parsing theory which remain seriously underdeveloped. Foremost, perhaps, is the specification of the principles governing the architecture of the processing system, which ultimately should explain how the organization of the HSPM and its subcomponents results from acquiring the grammar of any particular language.