Language and reading- sentence processing Flashcards
Syntax
The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language
Tree diagrams for sentences
-Depicts the way that words are structured into phrases, clauses and sentences
-Upside down, root at the top
Each sentence can be broken down into smaller constituents (nodes)
-Nodes are connected via branches
Syntactic ambiguity
Where one clause or sentence may have more than one interpretation given the potential grammatical functions of the individual words
Global ambiguity
Ambiguous throughout the sentence
Temporal ambiguity
Starts out ambiguous but only one interpretation at the end
Garden path sentences
The early part of the sentence leads the reader ‘down the garden path’ towards the wrong interpretation
Why do we initially prefer one interpretation of a syntactically ambiguous sentence to another?
We choose the simplest structure based on minimal attachment and late closure
Minimal attachment
Build a tree with fewest nodes
Realign if sentence doesn’t make sense
Late closure
Attach ambiguous phrase to most recently mentioned phrase
Less demanding on working memory
The different sources of information are known as …..
Constraints
Parsing
The process of assigning syntactic structure to a sentence
Parallel models
Allow many factor to influence the parsing process
All relevant sources of information are available to the parser and are considered in parallel
eg. constraint satisfaction
Constraint satisfaction
Competing sentence structure are activated simultaneously
the syntactic structure receiving the most support from all the constraints is then activated and chosen
Unrestricted race model
Model of syntactic processing
Combines features of garden path theory and constraint satisfaction
Non-literal language
When the intended meaning can’t be derived by direct composition of the literal meanings of the words guided by the grammar
Figurative language
One thing is said in order to express another
eg. metaphor, idiom, irony
Metaphor
An expression that describes a person or object in a literary way by referring to something that is considered to possess similar characteristics to the person or object you are trying to describe
Idiom
A group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meaning of each word understood on its own
Irony
A means of expression that suggests a different meaning for the words used
Usually humorous or angry
Theories designed to explain how non-literal language is understood
Standard pragmatic view
Graded salience hypothesis
Direct access view
Processing of irony- standard pragmatic view
Literal meaning is accessed first, mismatch with context detected, the utterance is then reanalysed as being ironic
Result: processing cost for ironic language compared to same utterance intended literally
Processing of irony- graded alliance hypothesis
Treats familiar ironic utterances the same way as literal as heard so many times
Has an entry in mental lexicon
For unfamiliar: Literal meaning accessed first then reanalysis must occur
Result: processing cost for unfamiliar ironies only
Processing of irony- direct access view
Literal and ironic language treated the same way
Ironic meaning can be accessed without accessing literal meaning first
Result: no additional processing cost for ironic language
