Sentence Comprehension

Question 1

Immediacy Principle: Immediately after a word is heard or read…

Answer 1

… the meaning is accessed

… it is placed into the assumed syntactic structure

Question 2

Garden path sentences

Answer 2

Easy to misparse sentences
Support the immediacy principle
Immediate parsing can lead to errors because there’s a lot of assumption involved

Question 3

Modular approach to parsing

Answer 3

Comprehension is the result of modules, each devoted to one aspect
In parsing, only syntax is considered - semantics is not considered
Parsing strategies –> use the simplest, easiest-to-construct phrase tree possible
Late Closure strategy
Minimal attachment

Question 4

Late closure

Answer 4

Attach items to the phrase currently being processed

“Close” clause boundaries at the latest point possible

Question 5

Minimal attachment

Answer 5

Attach items so the fewest new constituents are created

Assumption: more constituents –> harder to process

Question 6

Interactive approach to parsing

Answer 6

Parsing involves more than just syntax
Constraint-based model - all available information is used in parsing
Syntax and semantics are assumed to interact during comprehension