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Antecedent focus and conceptual distance effects in category noun-phrase anaphora.
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 18:34 authored by H Wind Cowles, Alan GarnhamAlan GarnhamPrevious work has shown that category noun-phrase anaphors (e.g. bird) are read faster when they refer to typical antecedents (e.g. robin) compared to atypical ones (e.g. goose) (Garrod & Sanford, 1977). However, when the antecedent is in a syntactic cleft, there is an inverse effect of typicality (Almor, 1999). We further examined this inverse effect in two self-paced reading time studies. The results of Experiment 1 extend the inverse typicality effect to a more general effect of conceptual distance by showing faster reading times to an anaphor (e.g. vehicle) when its antecedent is clefted and more conceptually distant in a category hierarchy (e.g. hatchback) than when it is closer (e.g. car). Experiment 2 examines whether it is cleft or focus status that causes inverse conceptual distance effects and finds that inverse effects are not confined to cleft constructions, but are also present when the antecedent is in grammatical subject position.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Language and Cognitive ProcessesISSN
0169-0965External DOI
Issue
6Volume
20Page range
725-750Pages
26.0Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Notes
Senior author. Cowles was Garnham's research fellow.Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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