(30) How many DPs? - On the Internal Processing of Determiner Phrases

We address the internal processing of simple determiner phrases, a topic neglected in parsing theory so far, and possible focus effects in this domain. Three self-paced reading experiments will be presented investigating the German determiner ''die'' which can introduce a DP or form a DP of its own. Therefore every sequence ''dass die Plural-Noun'' is ambiguous. Verb subcategorization requirements disambiguate the string ''die Plural-Noun'' - toward the two-DP reading ((1a)) or toward the single-DP reading ((1b)).

Frequency-based accounts as well as structure-driven parsing predict a preference for the single-DP reading. Experiment 1 confirms this expectation. Reading times at the verb are longer in the two-DP conditions, slightly in the unambiguous condition and substantially in the ambiguous condition.

Two further experiments tested the claim by Ni et al. (1996) that focusing elements can affect syntactic ambiguity resolution. Experiment 2 investigated the focusing effect of ''vor allem'' ('particularly') by comparing ''die'' and ''vor allem die'' in the two-DP condition (cf. (2)). For unambiguous sentences, the adverbial facilitated the attachment of the relative clause, resulting in shorter reading times. Thus, the focus adverbial creates an expectation for an upcoming restrictor (relative clause). However, there was no reading-time difference for ambiguous sentences with or without ''vor allem''. Thus the focusing adverbial does not prevent the misanalysis, nor does it help during reanalysis. Experiment 3 compared ''die'' ('the') and the inherently focused ''diejenigen''('those') (sentences like (2), either with ''die'' or ''diejenigen'' and always with ''vor allem''). Here the garden-path effect diminished in the''diejenigen''-condition, indicating that ''diejenigen'' is easily (re-)analyzed as an independent DP.

In sum, there is a strong preference to analyze ''die'' as a determiner. Modifying ''die'' by ''vor allem'' does not change this preference, but replacing ''die'' by the inherently focused ''diejenigen'' does. We will discuss these findings wrt. the interaction of parsing and interpretative processes.

Examples

Note: every ambiguous sentence had an unambiguous control not shown here

(1a)	dass [die] [Bücher] lesen, die viel Phantasie haben.
	that the books read who much imagination have
	'that those who have a rich imagination read books'

(1b)	dass [die Bücher] gelesen werden, die die Phantasie anregen.
	that the books read are which the imagination stimulate
	'that the books which stimulate our imagination are read'

(2)	dass (vor allem) [die] [Bücher] lesen, die viel Phantasie haben.
	that of all the books read who much imagination have
	'that (particularly) people who have a rich imagination read books'