L2 Relative Clause Processing: Evidence from Self-Paced Reading

Abstract

This study investigates how non-native readers and native speakers of English process subject relative clauses (RCs) when reading temporarily ambiguous sentences. The main objective of this research is to probe how antecedents accompanied by structural variables such as noun type, RC length, and RC type or position would possibly influence online RC parsing. Eighteen L2 learners (Persian) and fifteen English native speakers participated in a questionnaire study (offline) and a non-cumulative self-paced reading experiment (online). The findings revealed that the Persian learners and the native speakers did not read similarly, in the offline task, providing different attachment preferences (NP1 or NP2). The impact of experimental conditions on participants’ online RC processing was not significant except in region 4, where extraposed RCs were located, but significant effects of the group were yielded. Both groups processed sentences containing definite short non-extraposed RCs (region 2) faster, however, the Persian learners showed longer reading times overall, regardless of RC position. Therefore, online behavior and attachment choices are modulated to some extent by group effects. Moreover, L1 influence may account for Persian learners’ preferences for high attachment over low attachment in RC ambiguity resolution.