Brain potentials in the processing of complex sentences: an ERP study of control and raising constructions

In the present study we made use of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to examine raising and subject control constructions in German. Our most salient result is that the ERPs elicited at the empty subject position of a raising construction are clearly different from those elicited at the corresponding...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of psycholinguistic research Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 141 - 154
Main Authors Featherston, S, Gross, M, Münte, T F, Clahsen, H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Plenum Press 01.03.2000
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Brain - physiology
Empty Categories
Evidence
Evoked Potentials - physiology
German
Grammar
Humans
Language
Language Processing
Neurology
Priming
Psycholinguistics
Reaction Time
Semantics
Semiotics
Sentences
Speech Perception - physiology
Structural Grammar
Subject
Syntactic Processing
Technical Assistance
Time Factors
Verbs
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ISSN0090-6905
1573-6555
DOI10.1023/a:1005188810604

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Summary:In the present study we made use of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to examine raising and subject control constructions in German. Our most salient result is that the ERPs elicited at the empty subject position of a raising construction are clearly different from those elicited at the corresponding position of an otherwise identical subject control construction, the former producing a stronger P600. We argue that this result provides an electrophysiological correlate of the theoretical distinction between NP trace and PRO.
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ISSN:0090-6905
1573-6555
DOI:10.1023/a:1005188810604