Syntactic Constraints and Individual Differences in Native and Non-Native Processing of Wh-Movement.

ABSTRACT: There is a debate as to whether second language (L2) learners show qualitatively similar processing profiles as native speakers or whether L2 learners are restricted in their ability to use syntactic information during online processing. In the realm of wh-dependency resolution, research has examined whether learners, similar to native speakers, attempt to resolve wh-dependencies in grammatically licensed contexts but avoid positing gaps in illicit contexts such as islands. Also at issue is whether the avoidance of gap filling in islands is due to adherence to syntactic constraints or whether islands simply present processing bottlenecks. One approach has been to examine the relationship between processing abilities and the establishment of wh-dependencies in islands. Grammatical accounts

SUBMITTER: Johnson A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4840386 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature