In this study, we investigate whether co-referential processing across sentence boundaries is driven by universal properties of the general architecture of memory systems and whether cross-linguistic differences concerning the number of anaphoric forms available in a language’s referential inventory can impact the process of inter-sentential co-reference resolution. As a window into these questions, we test whether the repeated-name penalty (RNP) and the overt-pronoun penalty (OPP)—comprehension delays associated with repeated names and overt pronouns, respectively, in comparison to more reduced anaphoric forms in reference to salient antecedents—occur in Italian, examining the extent to which Italian resembles other null-subject languages, with focus on Spanish. Our self-paced reading experiment with factors Antecedent (Subject, Object) and Anaphor (Null Pronoun, Overt Pronoun, Repeated Name) found that Italian exhibits both an OPP and a (weaker) RNP, extending previous research that showed these effects in Spanish and strengthening the claim that co-reference resolution might be subject to universal principles.

de Carvalho Maia, J., Vernice, M., Gelormini Lezama, C., Lima, M., Almor, A. (2017). Co-referential Processing of Pronouns and Repeated Names in Italian. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH, 46(2), 497-506 [10.1007/s10936-016-9450-2].

Co-referential Processing of Pronouns and Repeated Names in Italian

VERNICE, MIRTA
Secondo
;
2017

Abstract

In this study, we investigate whether co-referential processing across sentence boundaries is driven by universal properties of the general architecture of memory systems and whether cross-linguistic differences concerning the number of anaphoric forms available in a language’s referential inventory can impact the process of inter-sentential co-reference resolution. As a window into these questions, we test whether the repeated-name penalty (RNP) and the overt-pronoun penalty (OPP)—comprehension delays associated with repeated names and overt pronouns, respectively, in comparison to more reduced anaphoric forms in reference to salient antecedents—occur in Italian, examining the extent to which Italian resembles other null-subject languages, with focus on Spanish. Our self-paced reading experiment with factors Antecedent (Subject, Object) and Anaphor (Null Pronoun, Overt Pronoun, Repeated Name) found that Italian exhibits both an OPP and a (weaker) RNP, extending previous research that showed these effects in Spanish and strengthening the claim that co-reference resolution might be subject to universal principles.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Coreferential processing; Italian; Overt-pronoun penalty; Pronouns; Repeated names; Repeated-name penalty; Language and Linguistics; Experimental and Cognitive Psychology; Psychology (all); Linguistics and Language
English
2017
46
2
497
506
none
de Carvalho Maia, J., Vernice, M., Gelormini Lezama, C., Lima, M., Almor, A. (2017). Co-referential Processing of Pronouns and Repeated Names in Italian. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH, 46(2), 497-506 [10.1007/s10936-016-9450-2].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/134336
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