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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 Garnham
Previous 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 Processes

ISSN

0169-0965

Issue

6

Volume

20

Page range

725-750

Pages

26.0

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Notes

Senior author. Cowles was Garnham's research fellow.

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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