Cross-Modality Learning and Pronoun Interpretation: a case study of Taiwan Sign Language

• Main Authors: Tankersley, Devin, 唐 駿
• Other Authors: Su, Yi-ching
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/3ma29p

碩士 === 國立清華大學 === 語言學研究所 === 106 === This study presents an investigation into the interpretations of null and overt pronouns in embedded clauses by native and non-native speakers of Taiwan Sign Language (TSL), as well as monolingual native Mandarin speakers. The goals of this study are two-pronged, investigating: (a) how the two types of pronouns (null vs overt) differ in their possible interpretations (extra-sentential vs coreferential); and (b) whether second language (L2) learners of TSL are more likely to interpret these pronominals along the lines of their native language (Mandarin) or their target language (TSL). In particular, this study aims to test the knowledge of the Overt Pronoun Constraint (OPC) among speakers of TSL and Mandarin, and how accessible extra-sentential referents are for null embedded pronouns. The OPC states that in cases where both null and overt pronouns may occur, an overt pronoun may not be bound by a syntactic variable (Montalbetti, 1984). Previous research on the OPC in second language (L2) acquisition has found that L2 learners only demonstrate native-like understanding of OPC at advanced stages, even when their native language has the OPC, as found in Matsuoka & Lillo-Martin (2017), where L1-Japanese learners of Japanese Sign Language tended to allow bound variable readings. In the case of null pronouns, experimental research into their interpretation by native speakers of Mandarin has found that extra-sentential readings are strongly dispreferred (Lust et al., 1999). The present study is the second study to look at L2-M2 (second modality) learners, employing the Truth Value Judgment Task, where participants can evaluate the meaning of a sentence against a particular context, as our main test methodology. Overall, we found that L2 learners of TSL did indeed allow bound variable readings, contrary to OPC, though both groups of L1 speakers likewise allowed bound variable readings, casting some doubt on the validity of OPC in these two languages. Extra-sentential antecedents were also available for null pronouns, though often only under certain conditions.