Vega-Mendoza Mariana, Ivanova Iva, McLean Janet F, Pickering Martin J, Branigan Holly P
Psychology, Department of Health, Education, and Technology, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.
Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
J Mem Lang. 2024 Feb;134. doi: 10.1016/j.jml.2023.104470. Epub 2023 Nov 28.
In two structural priming experiments, we investigated the representations of lexically-specific syntactic restrictions of English verbs for highly proficient and immersed second language (L2) speakers of English. We considered the interplay of two possible mechanisms: generalization from the first language (L1) and statistical learning within the L2 (both of abstract structure and of lexically-specific information). In both experiments, L2 speakers with either Germanic or Romance languages as L1 were primed to produce dispreferred double-object structures involving non-alternating dative verbs. Priming occurred from ungrammatical double-object primes involving different non-alternating verbs (Experiment 1) and from grammatical primes involving alternating verbs (Experiment 2), supporting abstract statistical learning within the L2. However, we found no differences between L1-Germanic speakers (who have the double object structure in their L1) and L1-Romance speakers (who do not), inconsistent with the prediction for between-group differences of the L1-generalization account. Additionally, L2 speakers in Experiment 2 showed a lexical boost: There was stronger priming after (dispreferred) non-alternating same-verb double object primes than after (grammatical) alternating different-verb primes. Such lexically-driven persistence was also shown by L1 English speakers (Ivanova et al., 2012a) and may underlie statistical learning of lexically-dependent structural regularities. We conclude that lexically-specific syntactic restrictions in highly proficient and immersed L2 speakers are shaped by statistical learning (both abstract and lexically-specific) within the L2, but not by generalization from the L1.
在两项结构启动实验中，我们研究了英语动词词汇特定句法限制在高度熟练且沉浸式学习英语的第二语言（L2）使用者中的表征。我们考虑了两种可能机制的相互作用：从第一语言（L1）进行的泛化以及在第二语言内的统计学习（包括抽象结构和词汇特定信息）。在两项实验中，以日耳曼语或罗曼语作为第一语言的第二语言使用者被启动以产出涉及非交替与格动词的非优选双宾语结构。启动发生在涉及不同非交替动词的不合语法双宾语启动项（实验1）以及涉及交替动词的语法启动项（实验2）之后，这支持了第二语言内的抽象统计学习。然而，我们发现以日耳曼语为第一语言的使用者（其第一语言中有双宾语结构）和以罗曼语为第一语言的使用者（其第一语言中没有双宾语结构）之间没有差异，这与第一语言泛化理论对组间差异的预测不一致。此外，实验2中的第二语言使用者表现出词汇增强效应：（非优选的）非交替同动词双宾语启动项之后的启动效应比（语法的）交替不同动词启动项之后更强。这种词汇驱动的持续性也在以英语为第一语言的使用者中得到体现（伊万诺娃等人，2012a），并且可能是词汇依赖结构规律统计学习的基础。我们得出结论，高度熟练且沉浸式学习第二语言的使用者中词汇特定的句法限制是由第二语言内的统计学习（包括抽象的和词汇特定的）塑造的，而非由第一语言的泛化塑造。
