1. Assessing sentence comprehension in Slovenian using the new JERA test : linguistic background and standardizationArthur Stepanov, Matic Pavlič, Nika Pušenjak Dornik, Penka Stateva, 2024, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: receptive language, Slovenian, language assessment, standardization, psycholinguistics
Published in RUNG: 04.12.2024; Views: 214; Downloads: 5
 Full text (3,38 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
2. Negative pragmatic transfer in bilinguals : cross‑linguistic influence in the acquisition of quantifiersGreta Mazzaggio, Penka Stateva, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Building on the cross-linguistic variability in the meaning of vague quantifiers, this study explores the potential for negative transfer in Italian-Slovenian bilinguals concerning the use of quantificational determiners, specifically the translational equivalents of the English “many”, that is the Slovenian "precej" and "veliko". The aim is to identify relevant aspects of pragmatic knowledge for cross-linguistic influence. The study presents the results of a sentence-picture verification task in which Slovenian native speakers and Italian-Slovenian bilinguals evaluated sentences of the form "Quantifier X are Y" in relation to visual contexts.
The results suggest that Italian learners of Slovenian, unlike Slovenian native speakers, fail to distinguish between "precej" and "veliko". This finding aligns with the negative transfer hypothesis. The study highlights the potential role of pragmatic knowledge in cross-linguistic transfer, particularly in the context of vague quantifiers.
Keywords: quantification, cross-linguistic differences, pragmatics, semantics, negative transfer
Published in RUNG: 20.08.2024; Views: 845; Downloads: 6
Full text (878,52 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
3. Empirical observations on the interpretation of the Macedonian articles : master's thesisMetodi Efremov, 2024, master's thesis Abstract: This thesis investigates the use and the interpretation of three alleged definite articles in Macedonian from a formal perspective. It is concerned with the following questions: (i) does Macedonian indeed have a definite article? (ii) are all three articles in Macedonian definite articles or demonstratives? (iii) what are the formal features that distinguish among these items and how are they licensed in different semantic contexts? The thesis provides evidence that Macedonian has only one definite article – the t-root one – as it presupposes uniqueness and does not have a deictic feature. The other two items – the v- and n-root articles – are at the intersection of a definite article and a demonstrative: they have a deictic feature but do not presuppose uniqueness or non-uniqueness. In addition, it is demonstrated that Macedonian has a set of three demonstratives that have a deictic feature and presuppose non-uniqueness.
Keywords: master's thesis, semantics, definite articles, demonstrative, uniqueness, deixis, reference
Published in RUNG: 12.07.2024; Views: 933; Downloads: 25
Full text (908,04 KB) |
4. Processing feature assignment in Bulgarian : lecture at the Beyond Agreement Workshop, Geneve, 20. 6. 2024Danil Khristov, Penka Stateva, Julie Franck, Dávid György, Arthur Stepanov, 2024, unpublished conference contribution Keywords: Sentence processing, psycholinguistics, memory, feature assignment, Bulgarian
Published in RUNG: 26.06.2024; Views: 990; Downloads: 2
 Link to file
This document has many files! More... |
5. Speakers' errors in the use of the 'count form' in Bulgarian numeral phrases : possible sources of the distance effectPenka Stateva, Julie Franck, Arthur Stepanov, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: In Bulgarian, numerals such as pet ('five') assign a special 'count form' feature to the noun: this assignment takes place across any number of intervening modifier phrases, thus forming a long-distance syntactic dependency. In colloquial speech, speakers often erroneously substitute the count form for regular plurals. Previous corpus and psycholinguistic research established that the ratio of such errors correlates with the distance between numeral and the noun in terms of the number of intervening items. In this note we briefly review this line of inquiry and outline two possible explanations for the distance effect: (i) the cost of maintaining and/or retrieving the numeral in the working memory, and (ii) cumulative activation of the plural markings on the intervening adjectivals.
Keywords: numeral, syntactic dependency, language processing, working memory, activation, Bulgarian
Published in RUNG: 12.02.2024; Views: 1429; Downloads: 5
Link to file
This document has many files! More... |
6. |
7. |
8. Two ʺmanyʺ- words in Italian? : on molto-tanto and cross-linguistic differences in quantificationGreta Mazzaggio, Penka Stateva, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: This article investigates the variability in the meaning of vague quantifiers across different languages, focusing on Italian’s m(any)-words molto and tanto. The aim was to replicate a previous analysis conducted on Slovenian m-words – precej and veliko – examining whether the Italian ones exhibit a similar pragmatic strengthening effect. Using a sentence-picture verification task, we tested 88 Italian monolingual participants on their evaluation of sentences of the form “Quantifier X are Y”. Our results showed that, unlike Slovenian speakers, Italian speakers do not exhibit a difference in the evaluation of molto and tanto, suggesting that the two words have the same numerical bound and are interchangeable as amount modifiers. Our analysis suggests that there are underlying semantic distinctions between molto and tanto that require further investigation. These findings contribute to our understanding of the variability in the use of quantifiers across languages and highlight the importance of examining subtle differences in meaning when studying vague quantifiers.
Keywords: cross-linguistic differences, pragmatics, quantification, semantics, vague quantifiers
Published in RUNG: 03.10.2023; Views: 1951; Downloads: 10
Full text (737,75 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
9. Scalar diversity and second-language processing: the Pragmatic Transfer HypothesisFederica Longo, Bob Van Tiel, Penka Stateva, Greta Mazzaggio, published scientific conference contribution abstract Abstract: This study investigates the impact of language proficiency on the computation of scalar
implicatures (e.g., ”some” implying ”not all”) and compares the Pragmatic Default Hypoth-
esis and the Pragmatic Transfer Hypothesis. Six scalar terms were studied among native
English speakers, native Slovenian speakers, and Slovenian second-language (L2) learners
of English. The findings mostly support the Pragmatic Transfer Hypothesis, as the rate
of scalar implicatures in the English-L2 group generally aligned with rates in their native
language, Slovenian. This suggests that scalar implicature judgments in one’s L2 reflect
pragmatic patterns in one’s first language.
Keywords: Second Language processing, Scalar implicatures, Scalar diversity
Published in RUNG: 03.10.2023; Views: 1522; Downloads: 6
Link to file |
10. |
