Interaction between topic marking and subject preference strategy in sign language processing

The preference of the human parser for interpreting syntactically ambiguous sentence-initial arguments as the subject of a clause (i.e. subject preference) has been documented for spoken and sign languages. Recent research (He, 2016) suggests that the subject preference can be eliminated by manipula...

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Veröffentlicht in:Language, cognition and neuroscience Jg. 35; H. 4; S. 466 - 484
Hauptverfasser: Krebs, Julia, Malaia, Evie, Wilbur, Ronnie B., Roehm, Dietmar
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Abingdon Routledge 05.05.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Schlagworte:
Ambiguity
Austrian Sign Language
Brain
Debates
Event-related potentials
Grammatical subject
Information processing
Information structure
Interpreting
Language
Language processing
Languages
Non-manual markings
Processing stages
Sign language
sign language processing
subject preference
Syntactic processing
Syntactic structures
Syntax
Topic and comment
topic marking
Topics
ISSN:2327-3798, 2327-3801
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Zusammenfassung:The preference of the human parser for interpreting syntactically ambiguous sentence-initial arguments as the subject of a clause (i.e. subject preference) has been documented for spoken and sign languages. Recent research (He, 2016) suggests that the subject preference can be eliminated by manipulating information structure (topicalisation). To investigate the effects of interaction between syntax and information structure on language processing, we tested the role of topic marking in sentence processing in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS). We examined whether non-manual topic marking on the sentence-initial argument eliminates the subject preference using event-related brain potentials. We replicated the finding of the subject preference in ÖGS by identifying an N400-family response to object-first sentences. Further, topic marking in ÖGS influenced the processing of the topic argument itself and later processing stages. This suggests that interpretation of topic marking imposes additional processing costs, relative to syntactic reanalysis.
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ISSN:2327-3798
2327-3801
DOI:10.1080/23273798.2019.1667001