TY - THES A1 - Schunack, Silke T1 - Processing of non-canonical word orders in an L2 T1 - Verarbeitung von nichtkanonischen Wortfolgen in der L2 BT - when small changes make no big difference BT - wenn kleine Änderungen keine große Unterschiede machen N2 - This thesis investigates the processing of non-canonical word orders and whether non-canonical orders involving object topicalizations, midfield scrambling and particle verbs are treated the same by native (L1) and non-native (L2) speakers. The two languages investigated are Norwegian and German. 32 L1 Norwegian and 32 L1 German advanced learners of Norwegian were tested in two experiments on object topicalization in Norwegian. The results from the online self-paced reading task and the offline agent identification task show that both groups are able to identify the non-canonical word order and show a facilitatory effect of animate subjects in their reanalysis. Similarly high error rates in the agent identification task suggest that globally unambiguous object topicalizations are a challenging structure for L1 and L2 speakers alike. The same participants were also tested in two experiments on particle placement in Norwegian, again using a self-paced reading task, this time combined with an acceptability rating task. In the acceptability rating L1 and L2 speakers show the same preference for the verb-adjacent placement of the particle over the non-adjacent placement after the direct object. However, this preference for adjacency is only found in the L1 group during online processing, whereas the L2 group shows no preference for either order. Another set of experiments tested 33 L1 German and 39 L1 Slavic advanced learners of German on object scrambling in ditransitive clauses in German. Non-native speakers accept both object orders and show neither a preference for either order nor a processing advantage for the canonical order. The L1 group, in contrast, shows a small, but significant preference for the canonical dative-first order in the judgment and the reading task. The same participants were also tested in two experiments on the application of the split rule in German particle verbs. Advanced L2 speakers of German are able to identify particle verbs and can apply the split rule in V2 contexts in an acceptability judgment task in the same way as L1 speakers. However, unlike the L1 group, the L2 group is not sensitive to the grammaticality manipulation during online processing. They seem to be sensitive to the additional lexical information provided by the particle, but are unable to relate the split particle to the preceding verb and recognize the ungrammaticality in non-V2 contexts. Taken together, my findings suggest that non-canonical word orders are not per se more difficult to identify for L2 speakers than L1 speakers and can trigger the same reanalysis processes as in L1 speakers. I argue that L2 speakers’ ability to identify a non-canonical word order depends on how the non-canonicity is signaled (case marking vs. surface word order), on the constituents involved (identical vs. different word types), and on the impact of the word order change on sentence meaning. Non-canonical word orders that are signaled by morphological case marking and cause no change to the sentence’s content are hard to detect for L2 speakers. N2 - Diese Arbeit untersucht die Verarbeitung nichtkanonischer Wortfolgen und ob nichtkanonische Wortfolgen, die Objekttopikalisierung, Mittelfeldscrambling und Partikelverben beinhalten, von Muttersprachlern (L1) und Fremdsprachenlernern (L2) gleichermaßen verarbeitet werden. Die untersuchten Sprachen sind Norwegisch und Deutsch. 32 norwegische Muttersprachler und 32 fortgeschrittene deutsche Norwegischlerner wurden in zwei Experimenten zur Objekttopikalisierung im Norwegischen getestet. Die Resultate des Leseexperiments und der Agensidentifikation zeigen, dass beide Gruppen in der Lage sind die nichtkanonische Wortfolge zu identifizieren und einen fördernden Effekt von belebten Subjekten auf ihre Reanalyse zeigen. Ähnlich hohe Fehlerrate in der Agensidentifikation suggerieren, dass global unambige Objekttopikalisierungen eine anspruchsvolle Struktur für L1- und L2-Sprecher sind. Dieselben Teilnehmer wurden auch in zwei Experimenten zur Platzierung von Partikeln im Norwegischen getestet. Es wurde wieder ein Leseexperiment durchgeführt, diesmal zusammen mit einem Akzeptabilitätsrating. In diesem Rating zeigen L1- und L2-Sprecher die gleiche Präferenz für die verbnahe Platzierung der Partikel gegenüber der Platzierung nach dem direkten Objekt. Diese Präferenz findet sich im Leseexperiment nur in den Daten der L1-Gruppe, die L2-Gruppe zeigt dort keine Präferenz für eine der beiden Reihenfolgen. Eine weitere Gruppe Experimente testete 33 deutsche Muttersprachler und 39 fortgeschrittene slawische Deutschlerner zum Objektscrambling in deutschen ditransitiven Sätzen. Fremdsprachenlerner akzeptieren beide möglichen Reihenfolgen und zeigen keine Präferenz oder schnellere Verarbeitung für die kanonische Reihenfolge. Die L1-Gruppe zeigt eine numerisch kleine, aber signifikante Präferenz für die kanonische Dativ-Akkusativ-Folge im Akzeptabilitätsrating und dem Leseexperiment. Dieselben Teilnehmer wurden auch in zwei Experimenten zur Anwendung der Trennungsregel bei trennbaren Verben im Deutschen getestet. Fortgeschrittenen L2-Sprecher des Deutschen können trennbare Verben identifizieren und die Trennregel in V2-Kontexten wie dem Akzeptabilitätsrating genauso anwenden wie Muttersprachler. Allerdings zeigt die L2-Gruppe keine Sensibilität gegenüber der Grammatikalitätsmanipulation in der Leseaufgabe. Sie scheinen die zusätzliche lexikalische Information der Partikel wahrzunehmen, können jedoch getrennte Partikel nicht mit dem vorhergehenden Verb verbinden und die Ungrammatikalität der Trennung in Nicht-V2-Kontexten erkennen. Hierin unterscheiden sie sich von Mutterprachlern. Auf der Basis meiner Ergebnisse scheinen nichtkanonische Wortfolgen nicht per se schwieriger zu identifizieren zu sein für Fremdsprachlerner als für Muttersprachler und können dieselben Reanalyseprozesse auslösen. Ich argumentiere, dass die Fähigkeit von L2-Sprechern nichtkanonische Wortfolgen zu identifizieren davon abhängt, wie diese signalisiert werden (morphologische Kasusmarkierung vs. Oberflächenwordfolge), von den involvierten Konstituenten (gleiche vs. verschiedene Wortarten) und dem Einfluss der Änderung der Wortfolge auf die Satzbedeutung. Nichtkanonische Wortfolgen, die durch morphologische Kasusmarkierung signalisiert werden und keine Änderung der Satzbedeutung verursachen sind schwer zu identifizieren für Fremdsprachenlerner. KW - L2 sentence processing KW - object topicalization KW - scrambling KW - particle verbs KW - Norwegian KW - German KW - self-paced reading KW - acceptability judgments KW - Satzverarbeitung KW - Objekttopikalisierung KW - Scrambling KW - Partikelverben KW - Norwegisch KW - Leseexperiment KW - Akzeptabilitätsbewertung Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-103750 ER - TY - THES A1 - Schlenter, Judith T1 - Predictive language processing in late bilinguals T1 - Vorausschauende Sprachverarbeitung bei späten Bilingualen BT - Evidence from visual-world eye-tracking BT - Visual-World Eye-Tracking Evidenz N2 - The current thesis examined how second language (L2) speakers of German predict upcoming input during language processing. Early research has shown that the predictive abilities of L2 speakers relative to L1 speakers are limited, resulting in the proposal of the Reduced Ability to Generate Expectations (RAGE) hypothesis. Considering that prediction is assumed to facilitate language processing in L1 speakers and probably plays a role in language learning, the assumption that L1/L2 differences can be explained in terms of different processing mechanisms is a particularly interesting approach. However, results from more recent studies on the predictive processing abilities of L2 speakers have indicated that the claim of the RAGE hypothesis is too broad and that prediction in L2 speakers could be selectively limited. In the current thesis, the RAGE hypothesis was systematically put to the test. In this thesis, German L1 and highly proficient late L2 learners of German with Russian as L1 were tested on their predictive use of one or more information sources that exist as cues to sentence interpretation in both languages, to test for selective limits. The results showed that, in line with previous findings, L2 speakers can use the lexical-semantics of verbs to predict the upcoming noun. Here the level of prediction was more systematically controlled for than in previous studies by using verbs that restrict the selection of upcoming nouns to the semantic category animate or inanimate. Hence, prediction in L2 processing is possible. At the same time, this experiment showed that the L2 group was slower/less certain than the L1 group. Unlike previous studies, the experiment on case marking demonstrated that L2 speakers can use this morphosyntactic cue for prediction. Here, the use of case marking was tested by manipulating the word order (Dat > Acc vs. Acc > Dat) in double object constructions after a ditransitive verb. Both the L1 and the L2 group showed a difference between the two word order conditions that emerged within the critical time window for an anticipatory effect, indicating their sensitivity towards case. However, the results for the post-critical time window pointed to a higher uncertainty in the L2 group, who needed more time to integrate incoming information and were more affected by the word order variation than the L1 group, indicating that they relied more on surface-level information. A different cue weighting was also found in the experiment testing whether participants predict upcoming reference based on implicit causality information. Here, an additional child L1 group was tested, who had a lower memory capacity than the adult L2 group, as confirmed by a digit span task conducted with both learner groups. Whereas the children were only slightly delayed compared to the adult L1 group and showed the same effect of condition, the L2 speakers showed an over-reliance on surface-level information (first-mention/subjecthood). Hence, the pattern observed resulted more likely from L1/L2 differences than from resource deficits. The reviewed studies and the experiments conducted show that L2 prediction is affected by a range of factors. While some of the factors can be attributed to more individual differences (e.g., language similarity, slower processing) and can be interpreted by L2 processing accounts assuming that L1 and L2 processing are basically the same, certain limits are better explained by accounts that assume more substantial L1/L2 differences. Crucially, the experimental results demonstrate that the RAGE hypothesis should be refined: Although prediction as a fast-operating mechanism is likely to be affected in L2 speakers, there is no indication that prediction is the dominant source of L1/L2 differences. The results rather demonstrate that L2 speakers show a different weighting of cues and rely more on semantic and surface-level information to predict as well as to integrate incoming information. N2 - Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht, wie Nicht-Muttersprachler des Deutschen sprachliche Information vorausschauend verarbeiten. Frühere Forschungsarbeiten haben gezeigt, dass diese Fähigkeit bei Fremdsprachsprechern im Vergleich zu Muttersprachlern eingeschränkt ist. Dies resultierte in der Formulierung der RAGE Hypothese, die besagt, dass Nicht-Muttersprachler eine reduzierte Fähigkeit besitzen, Erwartungen zu generieren. Unter der Berücksichtigung, dass vorausschauende Verarbeitung die Sprachverarbeitung bei Muttersprachlern erleichtert und möglicherweise eine Rolle beim Sprachenlernen spielt, ist die Annahme, dass sich Mutter- und Fremdsprachunterschiede durch unterschiedliche Verarbeitungsmechanismen erklären lassen, besonders interessant. Jedoch zeigen die Ergebnisse neuerer Studien, dass die Annahmen der RAGE Hypothese zu generell sind und es selektive Unterschiede zwischen Mutter- und Fremdsprachsprechern geben könnte. In dieser Dissertation wurde die RAGE Hypothese systematisch überprüft. KW - prediction KW - L2 sentence processing KW - RAGE hypothesis KW - visual-world eye-tracking KW - vorausschauende Sprachverarbeitung KW - Fremdsprachverarbeitung KW - RAGE Hypothese KW - Visual-World Eye-Tracking Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-432498 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fernandez, Leigh A1 - Höhle, Barbara A1 - Brock, Jon A1 - Nickels, Lyndsey T1 - Investigating auditory processing of syntactic gaps with L2 speakers using pupillometry JF - Second language research N2 - According to the Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH), second language (L2) speakers, unlike native speakers, build shallow syntactic representations during sentence processing. In order to test the SSH, this study investigated the processing of a syntactic movement in both native speakers of English and proficient late L2 speakers of English using pupillometry to measure processing cost. Of particular interest were constructions where movement resulted in an intermediate gap between clauses. Pupil diameter was recorded during auditory presentation of complex syntactic constructions. Two factors were manipulated: syntactic movement (such that some conditions contained movement while others did not), as well as syntactic movement type (either causing an intermediate gap or not). Grammaticality judgments revealed no differences between the two groups, suggesting both were capable of comprehending these constructions. Pupil change slope measurements revealed a potential sensitivity to intermediate gaps for only native speakers, however, both native and late L2 speakers showed similar facilitation during processing of the second gap site. Acoustic analysis revealed potential acoustic cues that may have facilitated the processing of these constructions. This suggests that, contrary to the predictions of the SSH, late L2 speakers are capable of constructing rich syntactic representations during the processing of intermediate gap constructions in spoken language. KW - filler gap dependency KW - intermediate gap KW - L2 sentence processing KW - pupillometry KW - shallow structure hypothesis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658317722386 SN - 0267-6583 SN - 1477-0326 VL - 34 IS - 2 SP - 201 EP - 227 PB - Sage Publ. CY - London ER -