Sentence processing

Sentence comprehension is the ability to derive from concepts linguistics input (through writing or speech acts).

What is known about sentence comprehension

Local vs. Global Ambiguity

Sentence comprehension deals with lexical, structural, and semantic ambiguities. Within the comprehension of s

Issues in Sentence Comprehension

Modular vs. Interactive

Modular: takes only syntactic properties of words into account at first Interactive: takes word meaning, general knowledge, and context into account right from the start.

Serial vs. Parallel

Serial: contruct only 1 of hte psosible interpresatinos at first, and the tries another only if that turns out to be wrong Parallel: contructs multiples interprestationsa the same time and waits for evidence about which is right.

Garden Path Model

Is a very influential serial modular parsing model. Parsing is executed by a syntactic module. Contextual factors influence comprehension at a later state (reanalysis stage). It's two principles are late closure and minimal attachment.

Late closure is the concept that, whenever possible, one attaches new items to the current clause (wait as long as possible to close a clause). Thus Late Closure Strategy proposes that people prefer all of their terms to apply, when in doubt, to the last mentioned possibility.

Minimal Atrtachment AStrategy Build the ismpelst syntactic structure (fewest phrase-structure nodes) possibile. So given the choice

Constraint-Based Model

parallel and intaeractive We do generate more than one syntactic analysis, based on

evidence provided agaisnt Constraint-Based Model:

         Garden path sentences seem to refute this: "The florist sent the flowers was very pleased"

evidence for the Constraint-Based Model: comprehenders do use their lexical knoweldge.

Lexical Preferences

lexical meaning influences sentence comprehension. “she saw her duck and some eggs” is a garden path sentence, makes one think of duck eggs; “She saw her duck and fall down” is different. (Boland 1997). second is slower response time (you have to build two VPs)

Incomplete or Inaccurate Representations

christianson et al (2001) asks Do we construct structual representations of sentencfse that aore acompelese and accurate as we aparse?

While Anna dressed the baby played in the crib Did the baby play in the crib? (reader response 100%) DId Anna dress the baby? (errors)

Ferreira(2003) people don’t immediately read and compsrehense a sentence With active sentences reading have 100% accuracy with passive sentences (the man was bitten by the dog, the dog was bitten by the man) had 75% accuracy

studeies of imcpomplete representations emphasize the influence of expectations in sentence ocmprehension.

References

Carroll, David, The Psychology of Language( Wadsworth Publishing, 2003))