Patrizia Tabossi

The comprehension of idioms

Abstract The access of idiomatic expressions was investigated in three cross-modal priming experiments. When the idiomatic string was predictable, subjects were faster at performing a lexical decision to idiomatically related targets than to literally related targets (Experiment 1). When the string was not recognizable as idiomatic until its completion, then subjects were faster on the target literally related to the last word (Experiment 2). Lexical decision for the same materials used in Experiment 2, when target words were presented 300 ms after the end of idiom was heard, was faster both for targets related to the last word and for the idiomatic meaning of the string, relative to control targets (Experiment 3). Neither the direct access model nor the lexical representation model seems adequate to explain the present findings. A new hypothesis concerning the representation and the processing of idioms is presented.

Accessing lexical ambiguity in different types of sentential contexts

Abstract Access of ambiguous words was investigated in three cross-modal experiments using the same ambiguous items and the same task (lexical decision), but different types of sentential contexts and semantic relations between an ambiguity and its paired target word. The results demonstrate that in a context biasing its dominant meaning, an ambiguity can be accessed selectively or exhaustively depending upon whether the context places sufficient constraints on the semantic features of its contextually congruent meaning. Different semantic relations between the ambiguity and the subsequent target word, namely, association and feature-denoting, did not alter this pattern of results. It is argued that the dominant meaning of an ambiguous word can be selectively activated—and the cross-modal technique reflects this activation—provided that the ambiguity occurs in a sufficiently constraining sentential context.

Accessing lexical ambiguity: Effects of context and dominance

SummaryThe paper examines the effects of sentential context and frequency of meaning (dominance) on the lexical access of ambiguous words. Two experiments were carried out using Swinneys (1979) cross-modal paradigm. The sentential contexts were constructed in such a way as to make salient the most characteristic features of either the dominant (Experiment 1) or the secondary (Experiment 2) meaning of the ambiguous word. The claim was that if context is sufficiently constraining selective access of the congruent meaning can be obtained. Consistent with this prediction, context biasing the dominant meaning facilitated lexical decision only on target words related to the dominant meaning. When context biased the secondary meaning, both context and dominance produced a facilitation effect.

Cross-Modal Semantic Priming

The cross-modal semantic priming paradigm is described, including its underlying rationale and the different tasks with which it is combined. The major characteristics of the paradigm-the type of stimuli used, the dependent and independent variables typically manipulated-are then introduced. Also, its main advantages and drawbacks are discussed. Finally, the most important areas of application are considered and some important findings which have been obtained with it are briefly mentioned.

Chapter 16 Strategies and Stress Assignment: Evidence from a Shallow Orthography

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the influence of strategies on the different processes involved in the computation of phonology and focuses on whether and how strategies can have selective influence with respect to the operation of stress assignment. A possible model of the representation of stress, and of the processes involved in stress assignment in reading is outlined, based on data from Italian and English. The above characterization of stress assignment and of its relation to the mechanisms involved in pronunciation may come useful, if it is correct, to clarify whether the use of a specific reading process is under the readers strategic control. If the information used to assign stress depends on what mechanism, lexical or sublexical, drives pronunciation, it should be possible to selectively influence one or the other, depending on the stress characteristics of the experimental list. Naturally this hypothesis is based on the assumption that the different types of information come from processes that are to some extent independent.

Chapter 1 Understanding Words in Context

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how sentential context affects the comprehension of words. In understanding a sentence, people use the information provided by lexical items to construct an internal representation of what is said in the sentence. The semantic information about words must be recovered from the mental lexicon and combined according to the syntax of the language before more complex, elaborative processes can take place. The individual words constitute the building blocks of comprehension. The internal representation constructed from a sentential context help the various processes connected with the comprehension of a lexical item in the sentence. The results of studies on word recognition, suggests the existence of effects that, to the best of the present knowledge, cannot be explained only on the basis of intralexical phenomena or methodological artifacts.

Sentential Context and Lexical Access

Publisher Summary In the current literature on lexical access, methodological arguments are usually put forward to explain contradictory results. These arguments vary depending on whether they are proposed to discount evidence which appears to be in favor of the non-autonomous model of lexical activation or vice versa . The selective effects observed in several studies are likely to reflect post-access, rather than immediate access phenomena. When the data supports the context insensitive model, the results themselves indicate that post-access phenomena have not occurred. Experimental procedures for the investigation of the real time phenomena involved in language comprehension are necessarily complex and their interpretation is not straightforward. Lexical activation during comprehension is not always exhaustive and insensitive to prior contextual information. The condition suggesting that whether lexical access can be directed by a preceding sentential context depends upon the nature of the contextual constraint.

Words in Context

Abstract General knowledge and context are known to intervene in language comprehension, reducing the vagueness of linguistic input and operating selectively on the information conveyed by lexical items. What is not clear, however, is the processes by which the selective effects of context are established. The chapter deals with the first and perhaps most obvious question concerning such effects: At which stage of the comprehension process do context effects operate on the information retrieved from the mental lexicon? Current literature on the access of ambiguous and unambiguous words is reviewed and methodological issues relevant to the topic are discussed. The pertinence of experimental findings about word recognition to lexical access during sentence comprehension is also considered. Finally, a selective model of lexical access is sketched.