The role of L1 and L2 frequency in cross-linguistic structural priming: An artificial language learning study [post]

Merel Muylle, Bernolet Sarah, Robert Hartsuiker
2020 unpublished
We investigated L1 and L2 frequency effects in the sharing of syntax across languages (reflected in cross-linguistic structural priming) using an artificial language (AL) paradigm. Ninety-six Dutch speakers learned an AL with either a prepositional-object (PO) dative bias (PO datives appeared three times as often as double-object [DO] datives) or a DO dative bias (DOs appeared three times as often as POs). Priming was assessed from the AL to Dutch (a strongly PO-biased language). There was weak
more » ... immediate priming for DOs, but not for POs in both bias conditions. This suggests that L1, but not AL frequency influenced immediate priming. Furthermore, the DO bias group produced 10% more DOs in Dutch than the PO bias group, showing that cumulative priming was influenced by AL frequency. We discuss the different effects of L1 and AL frequency on cross-linguistic structural priming in terms of lexicalist and implicit learning accounts.
doi:10.31234/osf.io/u8z36 fatcat:2kubzo44dbavljxzdxfvciaze4