![]() Online Versus Offline Methods in Sentence Processing In this study, we investigated the automatic processing and conscious interpretation of these constructions in children using online and offline methods, with normal and slowed speech input rates. Foley, Nuñez del Prado, Barbier, & Lust, 2003). In the strict interpretation (Example 2b), the antecedent of the possessive pronoun is the same ( policeman) for both conjuncts (additional possible strict interpretations are not considered here cf. In other words, the antecedent of the possessive pronoun is different for the antecedent clause and the reconstructed ellipsis clause. In the sloppy interpretation (Example 2a), the possessive pronoun refers to the policeman in the first conjunct but to the fireman in the second conjunct. In Example 1, the antecedent VP ( washed his car) contains a possessive pronoun ( his) that is ambiguous when the content of the ellipsis phrase is established (in Example 2). The ellipsis clause (second conjunct) contains the ellipsis phrase ( did too), which (in syntactic accounts) is interpreted by reconstructing the antecedent VP ( washed his car) from the antecedent clause (first conjunct) at the ellipsis site (e.g., replacing did too with washed his car during interpretation). For example, the elliptical construction in Example 1 below consists of two conjuncts (i.e., the antecedent clause and the ellipsis clause) joined by a conjunction ( and). ![]() We focused on a well-known property of elliptical constructions with embedded nominal anaphors: the strict/sloppy ambiguity. This dependency is typically treated in terms of syntactic relations ( Fiengo & May, 1994 Hestvik, 1995 Sag, 1976), although approaches based on semantics ( Dalrymple, Shieber, & Pereira, 1991) and discourse ( Kehler, 2000) also have been proposed. In this study, we explored a distinct type of dependency relation, verb phrase (VP) ellipsis, which involves a dependency between an elided VP (usually indicated by an ellipsis phrase such as did too) and an antecedent VP. Research into the auditory comprehension of nominal anaphors has demonstrated that children as young as age 4½ years display adultlike automatic processing of these forms but do not master conscious, metalinguistic interpretation of anaphors equally until several years later, with metalinguistic mastery of pronouns delayed relative to that of reflexives ( Chien & Wexler, 1990 Love, 2007 Love et al., 2009 McKee, Nicol, & McDaniel, 1993 Roberts, Marinis, Felser, & Clahsen, 2007). In the sentence “The policeman washed his car,” the referent of the possessive pronoun ( his) is established via a dependency relation with its antecedent ( the policeman Chomsky, 1981, 1986). Evidence suggests that children do not develop these conscious and unconscious abilities at the same rate, with unconscious automatic processing ability developing earlier than conscious, metalinguistic skills, in multiple areas of language, including word recognition ( Karmiloff-Smith, Grant, Sims, Jones, & Cuckle, 1996) and sentence comprehension ( Love, Walenski, & Swinney, 2009).įor example, some linguistic forms (e.g., nominal anaphors pronouns such as he or reflexives such as himself) establish their reference via a dependency relation with something in prior context (e.g., the antecedent of a pronoun). Children not only acquire the unconscious automatic processes required for the comprehension of complex sentences but also develop metalinguistic knowledge and an ability to think consciously about language. I can remember his face but can’t remember his name.Language development is a multifaceted endeavor. He wrote to and phoned everyone he could think of who might help. We went for a walk and took some lovely photographs. We understand what the ‘missing’ items are: ![]() The same happens when we do not repeat words in clauses connected with and, but and or (coordinated clauses). Maureen was glad we had called in to see her.Īre you afraid you won’t get a job when you leave college? For example, we know that certain verbs and adjectives can be followed by a that-clause, so if we see a clause without that after such verbs and adjectives, we assume that the writer or speaker wants us to understand the same meaning as a that-clause: When we can easily understand everything in the sentence because of the surrounding text, we use textual ellipsis.
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