ERIC Number: EJ968455
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Mar
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-2133
EISSN: N/A
The First Noun Principle and Ambitransitive Verbs
Tight, Daniel G.
Hispania, v95 n1 p103-115 Mar 2012
This study explored native English speakers' interpretations of second-language Spanish sentences featuring an animate subject and an ambitransitive verb (e.g., "Escuchan bien los ninos" "The children listen well"). First- (N=37), third- (N=39), and fifth-semester (N=23) participants heard eight subject-verb (SV) and eight verb-subject (VS) sentences and selected from two English translations. Paired-samples t-tests indicated all levels scored significantly higher (p less than 0.01) for SV than VS sentences. A one-way ANOVA also showed significant differences (p less than 0.01) across levels for VS sentences, with fifth-semester learners significantly outperforming first- (p equal to 0.02) and third-semester (p less than 0.01) learners. Findings reveal a tendency to interpret the first noun as an object in the VS sentences, contrary to the First Noun Principle. (Contains 3 tables and 3 notes.)
Descriptors: Sentences, Verbs, Nouns, Spanish, English, Native Speakers, Translation, Language Processing, Scores, Language Proficiency, College Students, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Linguistic Theory
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc. 900 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI 48390. Tel: 248-960-2180; Fax: 248-960-9570; e-mail: AATSPoffice@aatsp.org; Web site: http://www.aatsp.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A