Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences

Are speakers sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in language. The authors report an eye-tracking study that investigates this by examining the processing of multiword sequences that differ in phrasal frequency by native and proficient nonnative English speakers. Participants read sen...

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Main Authors: Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna, Conklin, Kathy, van Heuven, Walter J.B.
Format: Article
Published: American Psychological Association 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28906/
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author Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna
Conklin, Kathy
van Heuven, Walter J.B.
author_facet Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna
Conklin, Kathy
van Heuven, Walter J.B.
author_sort Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Are speakers sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in language. The authors report an eye-tracking study that investigates this by examining the processing of multiword sequences that differ in phrasal frequency by native and proficient nonnative English speakers. Participants read sentences containing 3-word binomial phrases (bride and groom) and their reversed forms (groom and bride), which are identical in syntax and meaning but that differ in phrasal frequency. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that native speakers and nonnative speakers, across a range of proficiencies, are sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in English. Results also indicate that native speakers and higher proficiency nonnatives are sensitive to whether a phrase occurs in a particular configuration (binomial vs. reversed) in English, highlighting the contribution of entrenchment of a particular phrase in memory.
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spelling nottingham-289062020-05-04T20:23:19Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28906/ Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna Conklin, Kathy van Heuven, Walter J.B. Are speakers sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in language. The authors report an eye-tracking study that investigates this by examining the processing of multiword sequences that differ in phrasal frequency by native and proficient nonnative English speakers. Participants read sentences containing 3-word binomial phrases (bride and groom) and their reversed forms (groom and bride), which are identical in syntax and meaning but that differ in phrasal frequency. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that native speakers and nonnative speakers, across a range of proficiencies, are sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in English. Results also indicate that native speakers and higher proficiency nonnatives are sensitive to whether a phrase occurs in a particular configuration (binomial vs. reversed) in English, highlighting the contribution of entrenchment of a particular phrase in memory. American Psychological Association 2011-05 Article PeerReviewed Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna, Conklin, Kathy and van Heuven, Walter J.B. (2011) Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 37 (3). pp. 776-784. ISSN 0278-7393 multiword sequences phrasal frequency mental lexicon eye-tracking bilinguals http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/xlm/37/3/776/ doi:10.1037/a0022531 doi:10.1037/a0022531
spellingShingle multiword sequences
phrasal frequency
mental lexicon
eye-tracking
bilinguals
Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna
Conklin, Kathy
van Heuven, Walter J.B.
Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences
title Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences
title_full Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences
title_fullStr Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences
title_full_unstemmed Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences
title_short Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences
title_sort seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences
topic multiword sequences
phrasal frequency
mental lexicon
eye-tracking
bilinguals
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28906/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28906/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28906/