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Selective retention of information about the superficial for of text: ellipses with antecedents in main and subordinate clauses
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 17:45 authored by Alan GarnhamAlan Garnham, Jane OakhillJane Oakhill, Kate CainElliptical verb phrases must be interpreted indirectly, using a representation of the surface form of nearby (usually preceding) text. We used this fact to demonstrate the different availability of superficial representations of the two clauses in main-subordinate pairs. The acceptability of a later ellipsis was reduced when it took its meaning from a main clause that was followed by a subordinate clause, as compared with other combinations. In addition, positive acceptability judgements were made more quickly (1) when the antecedent clause was subordinate, rather than main, suggesting that the superficial form of a subordinate clause is more important, and (2) when the antecedent was in the immediately preceding clause, rather than two clauses back. These results support the idea that the surface form of subordinate clauses is selectively retained until the corresponding main clause has been read, but the surface form of a main clause is not retained after it has been interpreted.
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Publication status
- Published
Journal
Quarterly Journal of Experimental PsychologyISSN
1747-0218Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
51Page range
19-39Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
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- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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