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8 - Neurophysiological Markers of Phrasal Verb Processing: Evidence from L1 and L2 Speakers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2015

By
Silke Paulmann ,
Zainab Ghareeb-Ali  and
Claudia Felser
Edited by
Roberto R. Heredia  and
Anna B. Cieślicka
Silke Paulmann
Affiliation:
University of Essex
Zainab Ghareeb-Ali
Affiliation:
University of Essex
Claudia Felser
Affiliation:
University of Potsdam
Roberto R. Heredia
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
Anna B. Cieślicka
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
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Summary

Abstract

Language is often ambiguous. For instance, verb-preposition strings such as look up can be interpreted either as a single verb + preposition combination leading to a literal interpretation (e.g., to look up the chimney), or can be interpreted as a so-called phrasal verb that requires a figurative interpretation (e.g., to look up the number). Past research has primarily used behavioral methodologies to investigate how first (L1) and second language (L2) learners deal with this phenomenon. However, event-related potentials (ERPs) are highly time sensitive and may shed additional light on this issue. In this chapter, we will first provide an overview of evidence on phrasal verb processing in L1 and L2 speakers. We will then present some of our own ERP data exploring phrasal verb processing in native speakers of English and native Arabic-speaking L2 learners of English. We will conclude with directions for future ERP research in this domain.

Keywords: bilingualism, event-related potentials (ERPs), figurative language, phrasal verbs, second language acquisition

Psycholinguistic research has a long tradition in exploring how native speakers successfully master the complexities encountered in everyday language. Lexical and structural ambiguities form a vital part of this complexity and are a frequent feature of language. For instance, multiword expressions such as phrasal verbs (e.g.,run into), which can have a figurative interpretation (e.g.,to meet), have been estimated by some to form about one-third of the English verb vocabulary (Li, Zhang, Niu, Jiang, & Srihari, 2003).

Type
Chapter
Information
Bilingual Figurative Language Processing , pp. 245 - 267
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2015

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