Interface problems: Structural constraints on interpretation?
Interface problems: Structural constraints on interpretation?
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DOI：
10.1007/s10936-005-3638-1
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发表时间：
2005-05-01
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
Bader, M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Frazier, L;Clifton, C;Bader, M
五个实验考察了量化名词短语的理解与语篇结构的关系。他们通过问卷调查和在线阅读技术证明，英语读者更愿意对（VP-外部）主语位置上的量化名词短语给予预设解释，即名词短语限制或限制对已有集合的解释，而不是给予非预设或存在解释，即名词短语在语篇中引入全新的实体。实验一表明，在《五只船出现在地平线上》中，读者更喜欢对三只船的预设解释。三艘船沉没。实验2表明，更长的阅读时间的句子，是消除歧义的存在解释比句子，允许的预设解释。实验三表明，当短语three ships出现在动词短语之外时，预设偏好比出现在动词短语内部时更大。实验四表明，被标记主题标记的韩国被试比被标记主格标记的被试获得了更多的预设解释。实验五表明，在VP-外部（但非主题）位置的德语被试比VP-内部被试获得更多的预设解释。结果表明，短语的句法位置是其解释的一个决定因素，正如Diesing（1992）的映射假设所预期的那样。
Five experiments investigated the interpretation of quantified noun phrases in relation to discourse structure. They demonstrated, using questionnaire and on-line reading techniques, that readers in English prefer to give a quantified noun phrase in (VP-external) subject position a presuppositional interpretation, in which the noun phrase limits or restricts the interpretation of an already available set, rather than giving it a nonpresuppositional or existential interpretation, in which it introduces completely new entities into the discourse. Experiment 1 showed that readers prefer a presuppositional interpretation of three ships over the existential interpretation in Five ships appeared on the horizon. Three ships sank. Experiment 2 showed longer reading times in sentences that are disambiguated toward the existential interpretation than in sentences that permit the presuppositional interpretation. Experiment 3 suggested that the presuppositional preference is greater when the phrase three ships occurs outside the verb phrase than when it occurs inside the verb phrase. Experiment 4 showed that Korean subjects marked with a topic marker received more presuppositional interpretations than subjects marked with a nominative marker. Experiment 5 showed that German subjects in VP-external (but nontopic) position received more presuppositional interpretations than VP-internal subjects. The results suggest the syntactic position of a phrase is one determinant of its interpretation, as expected according to the mapping hypothesis of Diesing (1992).