Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences

Siyanova-Chanturia, Anna; Conklin, Kathy; van Heuven, Walter J.B.

Abstract

Are speakers sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in language. The authors report an eye-tracking study that investigates this by examining the processing of multiword sequences that differ in phrasal frequency by native and proficient nonnative English speakers. Participants read sentences containing 3-word binomial phrases (bride and groom) and their reversed forms (groom and bride), which are identical in syntax and meaning but that differ in phrasal frequency. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that native speakers and nonnative speakers, across a range of proficiencies, are sensitive to the frequency with which phrases occur in English. Results also indicate that native speakers and higher proficiency nonnatives are sensitive to whether a phrase occurs in a particular configuration (binomial vs. reversed) in English, highlighting the contribution of entrenchment of a particular phrase in memory.

Citation

Siyanova-Chanturia, A., Conklin, K., & van Heuven, W. J. (2011). Seeing a phrase “time and again” matters: the role of phrasal frequency in the processing of multiword sequences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 37(3), https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022531

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Jul 3, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 3, 2015
• Journal: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition
• Electronic ISSN: 0278-7393
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 3
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022531
• Keywords: multiword sequences, phrasal frequency, mental lexicon, eye-tracking, bilinguals
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1010015
• Publisher URL: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/xlm/37/3/776/
• Additional Information: This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.