Experimental studies of grammar: Anaphora resolution in speech comprehension.


2018. №1, 76-90

Veronika K. Prokopenya а, Natalia A. Slioussar а, b, Tatiana Ye. Petrova, Daria A. Chernova, Tatiana V. Chernigovskaya, @
a St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation;
b National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation;
@ tatiana.chernigovskaya@gmail.com

Abstract:

This paper addresses one of the central problems in mental grammar studies — the problem of modularity in anaphoric processing. Our study is based on Reuland’s model “Primitives of binding” arguing that anaphoric relations can be established in three independent language modules: syntax, semantics, and discourse. These modules work sequentially: from the most economic syntax to the least economic discourse. We conducted a series of experiments with healthy adult native speakers of Russian (control group), 4-5 year old children with no speech problems, and participants with agrammatic aphasia. Pronoun interpretation in sentences where syntactic and semantic analyses lead to different interpretations was studied.