The Linguistics Department of Ohio University presents Dr. Matt Anderson discussing: "Comprehension of Ambiguous Relative Clauses in Spanish, English, and Codeswitching" in Gordy 313 or via Teams Join the meeting now

Abstract: 

When sentences can be interpreted in more than one way, how do we decide the meaning? For example, in, “Someone called the lawyer of the defendant that was by the elevator”, was the lawyer by the elevator or the defendant? These structures, called ambiguous relative clauses, are processed differently across languages. English speakers often choose the defendant (low attachment), while Spanish speakers tend to pick the lawyer (high attachment). However, what happens when someone speaks both languages and mixes them in conversation?

My research explores how Spanish-English bilinguals resolve ambiguities when codeswitching, using both languages in the same dialogue. In this presentation, I will review the findings of a series of three eye-tracking studies where 38 early bilinguals read ambiguous sentences in English, Spanish, and “Spanglish” and answered questions to prompt deciding an interpretation. Results revealed that codeswitching was more difficult to process than English or Spanish alone. Moreover, resolution strategies approximated Spanish-like patterns, with a slightly weaker default to high attachment. Finally, default to high attachment strengthened with increased participant-reported exposure to codeswitching. Findings are interpreted in the context of experiential processing models and the management of processing costs.

Matt Anderson is Assistant Professor of Instruction, Spanish, Modern Languages, Ohio University.