ERIC Number: EJ934232
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0278-7393
EISSN: N/A
Seeing a Phrase "Time and Again" Matters: The Role of Phrasal Frequency in the Processing of Multiword Sequences
Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna; Conklin, Kathy; van Heuven, Walter J. B.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, v37 n3 p776-784 May 2011
Are speakers sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in language? The authors report an eye-tracking study that investigates this by examining the processing of multiword sequences that differ in phrasal frequency by native and proficient nonnative English speakers. Participants read sentences containing 3-word binomial phrases ("bride and groom") and their reversed forms ("groom and bride"), which are identical in syntax and meaning but that differ in phrasal frequency. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that native speakers and nonnative speakers, across a range of proficiencies, are sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in English. Results also indicate that native speakers and higher proficiency nonnatives are sensitive to whether a phrase occurs in a particular configuration (binomial vs. reversed) in English, highlighting the contribution of entrenchment of a particular phrase in memory. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure, and 4 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Word Frequency, Phrase Structure, English, Eye Movements, Native Speakers, Language Processing, College Students, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Nottingham)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A