Speaker: Gert-Jan Schoenmakers (Utrecht University)
Title: An experimental investigation of syntactic and discourse-processing claims about filler-gap dependencies: Adjunct islands and parasitic gaps
When: Thu 19 Sep, 16:15–17:30
Where: Lipsius 0.01
Zoom: Link / Meeting ID: 682 3942 3068 / Passcode: ttW+g7aq
Explanations for linguistic phenomena are often sought either in the syntax or in non-syntactic components of human cognition, e.g. through demands of discourse processing. The unacceptability of filler-gap dependencies in island and parasitic gap constructions is a notable example: while syntactic theory claims that grammatical constraints impede long-distance dependency formation, other researchers claim that (discourse-inaccessible) referring arguments contribute to processing complexity to the extent that acceptability is significantly reduced. This talk presents new data to empirically evaluate such claims in Dutch adjunct island and parasitic gap constructions, evaluating Culicover and Winkler’s (2022) recent Uninvited Guest Hypothesis in particular. Furthermore, we reflect on our findings from the perspective of syntactic theory as well as other discourse-processing accounts of filler-gap dependencies.