Doctoral Dissertation Research: Chinese Sentence Processing by First and Second Language Speakers

博士论文研究：第一语言和第二语言使用者的汉语句子处理

• 批准号: 1023660
• 负责人: Bonnie Schwartz
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of Hawaii
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1023660&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Chinese; Sentence

In real-time sentence processing, the human language processor draws on multiple sources of information and applies them in a rapid fashion. The time pressure of language processing requires highly efficient use of this information. Ideally, second language (L2) learners should also be able to employ all the sources of information as efficiently as first language (L1) speakers, but in reality, it is often difficult. Capitalizing on typological difference between Chinese, English, and Japanese, this dissertation research examines the extent to which L2 learners are able to use different sources of information in online sentence processing and what underlying mechanisms (e.g., L1 transfer, inadequate representation, or cognitive limitations) cause processing difficulties. This research focuses on lexical-semantic, contextual, and morphosyntactic sources of information, which are the major sources of information that the human language parser exploits in making parsing decisions. The project includes four main experiments with intermediate and advanced learners of Chinese, whose L1 is either English or Japanese, as well as native controls. Participants in each experiment complete one of two online tasks -- comprehension-focused self-paced reading or acceptability-judgment self-paced reading -- in addition to an associated offline task. This project is a pioneering study in (L2) Chinese sentence processing. Most of the current theories on L1 and L2 sentence processing have been formulated in the context of languages with inflectional morphology. As a language with virtually no inflectional morphology, Chinese plays a special role in resolving theoretical controversies about the interaction of semantics, context, and morphosyntax during sentence processing. Studying how L1 and L2 speakers process Chinese sentences will help researchers obtain a much richer picture of human sentence processing in general, and L2 sentence processing in particular.

在实时句子处理中，人类语言处理器利用多个信息源并以快速的方式应用它们。语言处理的时间压力要求高度有效地利用这些信息。理想情况下，第二语言（L2）学习者也应该能够像第一语言（L1）使用者一样有效地使用所有信息来源，但在现实中，这往往是困难的。本文利用汉语、英语和日语的类型学差异，考察了二语学习者在网络句子处理中使用不同信息源的程度以及潜在的机制（例如，母语迁移、表征不充分或认知局限等因素导致了加工困难。本研究的重点是词汇语义，上下文和形态句法的信息来源，这是人类语言分析器利用在作出分析决定的主要信息来源。该项目包括四个主要的实验，中级和高级的中国学习者，其L1是英语或日语，以及本族语控制。每个实验的参与者都要完成两个在线任务中的一个--以理解为中心的自定进度阅读或以可接受性判断为中心的自定进度阅读--此外还要完成一个相关的离线任务。本研究是二语汉语句子加工领域的一项开创性研究。目前大多数关于L1和L2句子加工的理论都是在具有屈折形态的语言背景下形成的。作为一种几乎没有屈折形态的语言，汉语在解决句子处理过程中语义、语境和形态句法相互作用的理论争议方面发挥着特殊的作用。研究母语者和二语者如何加工汉语句子将有助于研究者更全面地了解人类句子加工，特别是二语句子加工。