Resolution of PP attachment ambiguities by Korean learners of English: Effects of linear distance and proficiency

• 발행기관: 한국영어학학회
• 저자명: Soondo Baek
• 간행물 정보: 『영어학연구』영어학연구 제20권 3호, 35~58쪽, 전체 23쪽
• 주제분류: 어문학 > 영어와문학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2014.12.01

영문 초록

Baek, Soondo. 2014. Resolution of PP attachment ambiguities by Korean learners of English: Effects of linear distance and proficiency. English Language and Linguistics 20.3, 35-58. This study examined the effect of linear distance and proficiency on L2 online resolution of PP attachment ambiguities in verb–NP–PP sequences, where the PP can be attached to either the verb or the NP. Forty two Korean college students of English contributed reading time data through a self-paced reading task. Test sentences were designed so that the PPs were construed with either the verb or the NP in terms of semantic plausibility (e.g.,The burglar opened the safe with a [large hammer/broken lock].). The length of theNP was also manipulated (e.g., The burglar opened the [safe/enormously big black safe] with a large hammer.). The results showed that VP attachment of the PP wasgenerally preferred over NP attachment and that the strength of the preference was larger for higher than lower proficiency learners. The effect of linear distance was reliable only for higher proficiency learners, who showed a weakened VP attachment preference with the increase of the distance between the verb and the PP. The results suggest that attachment preferences and linear distance effects in L2 PP attachment disambiguation should be understood in relation to the learners’ level of proficiency

목차

1. Introduction

2. Resolution of PP attachment ambiguities

3. The Study

4. Discussion

5. Conclusion

References

Appendix

키워드

L2 sentence processing PP attachment ambiguity resolution linear distance proficiency