Resolving pronominal anaphora in real-time

Contemori, Carla; Pozzo, Lena Dal; Matteini, Simona

doi:10.1075/la.223.12con

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In order to see whether the materials collected were appropriate for our study, we first performed a near-nativeness test on these materials, adapting White and Genesee’s (1996) near-nativeness test along the lines of Contemori et al (2015) and Dal Pozzo and Matteini (2015). Three native speakers of Italian evaluated the oral productions in Italian of the experimental subjects, indicating their judgments with respect to five distinct aspects (morphology, syntax, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency) on a scale of 10 cm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age of Onset and Dominance in the Choice of Subject Anaphoric Devices: Comparing Natives and Near-Natives of Two Null-Subject Languages

Domenico

Baroncini

2019

Front. Psychol.

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Several studies have highlighted the role of cross-linguistic influence in determining the over-use of overt subject pronouns in near-native speakers of a null-subject language as Italian. In this work we inquire on the role of factors different from cross-linguistic influence in the choice of anaphoric devices in near-natives, such as age of onset of exposure and dominance. In order to do so, comparing the productions of two groups of natives speakers, we first single out two null-subject languages, Italian and Greek, which do not differ significantly as far as subject anaphoric devices are concerned and thus instantiate a suitable language combination to investigate the role of factors other than cross-linguistic influence in bilingual speakers of these two languages (Study 1). In Study 2, we compare the productions of a group of native speakers and two groups of near-native speakers in Italian: Greek-Italian bilinguals from birth and L2ers of Italian with Greek as an L1. Results reveal that over-use of overt pronouns in near-natives occurs in the absence of cross-linguistic influence and that age of onset of exposure is a relevant factor: while bilinguals from birth do not differ from native speakers, L2ers over-use overt pronouns compared to both native speakers and bilinguals from birth. In order to establish whether dominance is a possible factor determining bilinguals’ choice of subject anaphoric devices, in Study 3, we compare two groups of Greek-Italian bilinguals from birth: bilinguals living in Greece (whose predominant language is Greek) and bilinguals living in Italy (whose predominant language is Italian). Results reveal no effect of dominance in the production of overt subject pronouns. We found, however, an unexpected effect in the predominant language of one group: bilinguals living in Greece produce significantly more null pronouns and less lexical DPs in Greek compared to bilinguals living in Italy. We interpret this effect as stemming from the need to differentiate the two languages that these bilingual speakers have to handle in everyday life. Interestingly, this effect is found in the predominant language rather than in the non-predominant one.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age of Onset and Dominance in the Choice of Subject Anaphoric Devices: Comparing Natives and Near-Natives of Two Null-Subject Languages

Domenico

Baroncini

2019

Front. Psychol.

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“…Italian Natives and L2ers were tested in Italian, Greek Natives were tested in Greek. Their productions were recorded and then transcribed with the help of the CLAN system (part of 8 We followed Contemori, Dal Pozzo & Matteini (2015) and Dal in this adaptation.…”

Section: Elicitation Procedures and Definition Of The Reference Totalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Null and overt subject pronouns in topic continuity and topic shift: An investigation of the narrative productions of Italian Natives, Greek Natives and near-native second language speakers of Italian with Greek as a first language

Domenico

Baroncini

Capotorti

2020

Glossa: A Journal of General Linguistics

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In this work we analyze the anaphoric devices employed in topic continuity and topic shift in the semi-spontaneous narrations of three groups of speakers: Italian Natives, Greek Natives and near-native second language speakers (L2ers) of Italian with Greek as a first language (L1). According to some recent literature, near-native speakers of a null subject language over-use overt pronouns even when their L1 is also a null subject language. It is still unclear whether this over-use is tied to differences in the languages involved (e.g. Italian and Spanish, Filiaci et al. 2014) and hence might be the result of cross-linguistic influence. Our data reveal that in Italian pro has a more specific function than in Greek in signaling topic continuity. The characteristic of pro in Italian is preserved in the L2ers productions. We also found that L2ers over-use overt pronouns, particularly in topic continuity, despite the similarity of their two languages in this respect. Finally, we single out an additional factor that influences speakers' choice of anaphoric devices, i.e. the number and kind of active referents, proving evidence that all speakers' groups employ overt pronouns particularly when there are two active animate referents that differ for gender and/or number, and L2ers significantly more than the other two groups. Our findings thus show that micro-variation in the use of anaphoric devices is attested among null subject languages, while the over-use of overt pronouns by L2ers stems from their difficulty in establishing topicality under higher degrees of cognitive load.

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Resolving pronominal anaphora in real-time

Abstract: Toivotamme sinulle oikein hyvää syntymäpäivää!(We wish you a very happy birthday)" "Una vita senza ricerca non è degna per l'uomo di essere vissuta."(Socrate)

Cited by 2 publications

References 19 publications

Age of Onset and Dominance in the Choice of Subject Anaphoric Devices: Comparing Natives and Near-Natives of Two Null-Subject Languages

Age of Onset and Dominance in the Choice of Subject Anaphoric Devices: Comparing Natives and Near-Natives of Two Null-Subject Languages

Null and overt subject pronouns in topic continuity and topic shift: An investigation of the narrative productions of Italian Natives, Greek Natives and near-native second language speakers of Italian with Greek as a first language

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