Processing clause-internal discourse relations in a second language

Abstract

Coherence relations are expressed differently across languages, often leading to language learners misusing discourse connectives. We argue that the ability to detect these errors crucially depends on the coherence relation under scrutiny, as errors may remain unnoticed when the relation is clause-internal and marked with a highly optional connective. We focus, therefore, on specifications, a relation that German-speaking learners sometimes struggle to correctly indicate when writing in French. We assessed whether non-native readers detect this error and show preferences for either explicit or implicit marking of specifications. Findings show that non-native speakers were generally able to detect the error in a sentence-evaluation task but did not react to it in a self-paced-reading task, contrary to native speakers. They also judged implicit specifications as more correct than explicitly marked specifications. We conclude that non-native speakers do not always benefit from connectives during text processing, especially when they are highly optional.

The role of linguistic and cognitive skills in reading Chinese as a second language: A path analysis modeling approach

“…First language may exert great influence on reading comprehension. For example, coherence relations have different forms across languages and first language may entail misuse of cohesive devices in another language ( Wetzel et al, 2022 ). Future studies can take language background as a key variable in developing a more refined model of Chinese reading.…”

Exploring the Sensitivity to Alternative Signals of Coherence Relations

“…Moreover, research on competence with connectives in L2, i.e., for speakers with a lower level of linguistic proficiency and can be in that respect compared to teenagers, shows that language learners also have difficulties detecting incorrect uses, even for very frequent connectives. The study of Wetzel et al (2022) reported, for instance, that German-speaking learners of French did not react to the erroneous uses of the frequent French connective alors 'so' in a self-paced reading task.…”