The resolution of the dative NP ambiguity in Korean

An eye-movement study examined the ambiguity of the dative noun phrase (NP) in Korean, which may be attached either to the main verb or to a relative verb. Experimental sentences of the form NP-Nom NP-Dat NP-Nom V (dative) NP-Acc V (dative or simple transitive; Nom = nominative; Dat = dative; V = verb; Acc = accusative) were tested. Garden-path theory predicts that comprehension difficulty occurs when the main verb is transitive, forcing the dative NP to be attached to the relative verb, because the dative NP will have already been attached in the clause posited when the first nominative NP is read. In contrast, lexically based theory predicts that comprehension difficulty occurs when the main verb is a dative verb, because the dative NP will be attached to the first verb encountered (the relative verb). The present study did not fully support either theory, because the differences seen in the experimental conditions appeared, at least in part, in the control conditions. However, the results were much different from the prediction of lexically based theory. Reading was faster, and regressive eye movements fewer, in the dative-ambiguous condition than in the transitive-ambiguous condition. Some reasons for the unexpected difficulty of the transitive-unambiguous condition are advanced.