Comprehension of object relatives in Spanish: the role of frequency and transparency in acquisition and adult grammar
Llompart M, Fernández Santos S, Dabrowska E (2024)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2024
Journal
URI: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/cog-2024-0016/html
Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.1515/cog-2024-0016
Abstract
This study investigates the relative roles of frequency and transparency in native speakers’ comprehension of Spanish object relative sentences by comparing performance with two variants of the construction that differ in these properties. Experiment 1 suggests that seven- to eight-year-old children’s processing of object relative sentences is consistently facilitated by variant frequency and likely relies on separate representations for each variant as two different, although related constructions. Experiment 2 turns to adult comprehension of the two variants, showing similar accuracy and reaction time patterns for both variants for this population. This second outcome could be interpreted as a decrease in frequency effects over time, in line with the power law of practice, as an experience-based increase in the ability to make use of redundant markers, or both.
Authors with CRIS profile
Sara Fernández Santos
Research Training Group 2839, Dimensions of Constructional Space
Ewa Dabrowska
Lehrstuhl für Language und Cognition (Alexander von Humboldt-Professur)
Involved external institutions
Spain (ES)How to cite
APA:
Llompart, M., Fernández Santos, S., & Dabrowska, E. (2024). Comprehension of object relatives in Spanish: the role of frequency and transparency in acquisition and adult grammar. Cognitive Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1515/cog-2024-0016
MLA:
Llompart, Miquel, Sara Fernández Santos, and Ewa Dabrowska. "Comprehension of object relatives in Spanish: the role of frequency and transparency in acquisition and adult grammar." Cognitive Linguistics (2024).
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