Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Processing of Referential Expressions in Discourse in L2 English

说话者使用语言指代事物和人的方式多种多样。根据上下文，一个叫JOHN的人可以被称为“他”、“那个家伙”、“约翰”等等。以英语为母语的人倾向于使用代词（如“他”），当其所指物在他们的脑海中很突出时，比如当它是话语主题时；当显著性下降时，他们倾向于使用更明确的形式，例如重复的专有名称（例如，“John”）。与英语相比，汉语和日语有一个额外的选择：省略，即“空代词”。当指称物非常突出时，母语为汉语的人使用显性代词，但也可以使用空代词。相比之下，以日语为母语的人很少使用显性代词，但经常使用空代词。本项目调查了母语为汉语或日语的英语中高级第二语言学习者，以及以这三种语言为母语的人，如何指称嵌入在不同话语语境中的人。参与者对参考表达的偏好在实时理解和生产任务中进行了检查。该研究项目调查了偏好是否受到在环境中操纵的显著性差异和/或认知负荷的影响；更大的加工需求（例如，生产）应该降低指称物的显著性，这反过来应该增加对更明确形式的偏好。该项目还调查了中国学习者在英语中是否比日本学习者使用更多的显性代词，这反映了他们在母语中使用代词的情况。这是第一个系统地考察英语学习者和三组母语者在理解和生产任务中的偏好的研究。以前的第二语言研究使用复杂的任务，发现甚至在接近母语的学习者中也存在协调话语和语法的问题，而这个项目使用简单的句子和程序来观察学习者？真实的处理行为。由于外语课堂很少涉及语篇中指称表达的使用，研究结果应该为语言教育者提供急需的关于它们的习得和使用的见解。这个项目也加强了对有前途的研究生的培养。

There are various ways speakers use language to refer to things and people. Depending on context, a person named JOHN can be referred to as "he," "the guy," "John," etc. English native speakers tend to use a pronoun (e.g., "he") when its referent is salient in their mind, such as when it is the discourse topic; when saliency decreases, they tend to use a more explicit form, such as a repeated proper name (e.g., "John"). In comparison to English, Chinese and Japanese have an additional option: omission, i.e., the "null pronoun." When the referent is highly salient, native Chinese speakers use overt pronouns, but they can also use the null pronoun. By contrast, native Japanese speakers rarely use overt pronouns but frequently use the null pronoun.This project investigates how intermediate-to-advanced second language learners of English, whose native language is Chinese or Japanese, as well as native speakers of these three languages, refer to people embedded in various discourse contexts. The participants' preferences for referential expressions are examined in real-time comprehension and production tasks. The research project investigates whether preferences are influenced by differences of saliency manipulated in contexts and/or by cognitive load; greater processing demand (e.g., production) should decrease saliency of referents, which should in turn increase the preference of a more explicit form. The project also investigates whether Chinese learners use more overt pronouns in English than Japanese learners do, reflecting their use of pronouns in their native language.This is the first study to systematically examine the preferences in both comprehension and production tasks by learners of English and the three groups of native speakers. Unlike previous second-language studies that used complex tasks and found problems coordinatingdiscourse and syntax even in near-native learners, this project uses simple sentences and procedures to see learners? true processing behavior. Since foreign-language classrooms rarely cover use of referential expressions in discourse, the research results should providelanguage educators with much-needed insights into their acquisition and use. This project also enhances the training of a promising graduate student.