Sensitivity to classifier relation in a priming task
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/ExLing-2023/14/0030/000624Keywords:
Chinese classifiers, Classifier effect, Mediated priming, Linguistic sensitivity, Conceptual structure, Linguistic relativityAbstract
Chinese speakers were often found to show sensitivity to classifier rules and semantics through the lens of cognitive processing tasks, which is the purported “classifier effect”. However, it remains unclear whether the classifier effect is reflective of linguistic sensitivity or universal conceptual structuring. To scrutinise this, a linguistically implicit mediated priming task was administered to assess differences in sensitivity to information contained within classifier-related pairs. Results showed that Chinese (n = 35, female = 29, Mage = 24.16, SD = 2.58, age range: 18-31) and English (n = 35, female = 26, Mage = 22.31, SD = 2.71, age range: 19-28) L1 speaker groups both produced more “yes” responses on semantic pair trials when being asked to decide whether the prime and the target were associated with each other. Although both L1 groups performed comparably in responses under all task conditions, it only took Chinese speakers longer to determine grammatical pairs than English speakers. Findings together support an “implicit classifier effect” from Chinese speakers’ performance.
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