Nominative case as a multidimensional default
- The present paper addresses a current view in the psycholinguistic literature that case exhibits processing properties distinct from those of other morphological features such as number (cf. Fodor & Inoue, 2000; Meng & Bader, 2000a/b). In a speeded-acceptability judgement experiment, we show that the low performance previously found for case in contrast to number violations is limited to nominative case, whereas violations involving accusative and dative are judged more accurately. The data thus do not support the proposal that case per se is associated with special properties (in contrast to other features such as number) in reanalysis processes. Rather, there are significant judgement differences between the object cases accusative and dative on the one hand and the subject nominative case on the other. This may be explained by the fact that nominative has a specific status in German (and many other languages) as a default case.
Author details: | Matthias Schlesewsky, Stefan Frisch |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-32447 |
ISSN: | 1616-7392 |
Title of parent work (German): | Linguistics in Potsdam |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Publication year: | 2003 |
Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
Release date: | 2009/07/01 |
Issue: | 21 |
First page: | 61 |
Last Page: | 72 |
RVK - Regensburg classification: | EQ 3310 |
Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Linguistik |
DDC classification: | 4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache |
Collection(s): | Universität Potsdam / Schriftenreihen / Linguistics in Potsdam: LIP, ISSN 1864-1857 / LIP (2003) 21 |
Institution name at the time of the publication: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Linguistik / Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft |
License (German): | Keine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz |
External remark: | zugleich in Printform erschienen im Universitätsverlag Potsdam: Experimental studies in linguistics 1 / Susann Fischer ; Ruben van de Vijver ; Ralf Vogel (eds.). - Potsdam : Univ.-Verl., 2004. - 137 S. : graph. Darst. 1 Beitr. in dt. Sprache (Linguistics in Potsdam ; 21) ISBN 3-935024-97-6 |