The comprehension of sentences containing temporal connectives
This thesis brings together ideas from psychology (particularly the work of Sever and Townsend 1979) and from linguistics (particularly the work of Partee, 1983 and Moens and Steedman 1986) about the nature of temporal representation, especially with regard to the effect of different temporal connectives on language processing. Experiments in the second chapter looked at memory for temporal information and order and results indicated that information about temporal order is less well remembered that information about spatial order. The third chapter examines the role of before as introducing sentences that can be either factive or non-facrive and concluded mat there is no clear divide between these two types of sentence, the difference depends on knowledge of regularities in the world, and it is only with clearly non-factive before sentences that readers have definite expectations . about factivity. This theme is continued in the fourth chapter which looks at SALIENCE, by examining continuations from sentences with temporal connectives and notes that a tendency to continue text from the main clause is modified by an effect of continuing from the las: occurring event, irrespective of order in the text. The
England, Marion
Language processing
The comprehension of sentences containing temporal connectives. This thesis brings together ideas from psychology (particularly the work of Sever and Townsend 1979) and from linguistics (particularly the work of Partee, 1983 and Moens and Steedman 1986) about the nature of temporal representation, especially with regard to the effect of different temporal connectives on language processing. Experiments in the second chapter looked at memory for temporal information and order and results indicated that information about temporal order is less well remembered that information about spatial order. The third chapter examines the role of before as introducing sentences that can be either factive or non-facrive and concluded mat there is no clear divide between these two types of sentence, the difference depends on knowledge of regularities in the world, and it is only with clearly non-factive before sentences that readers have definite expectations . about factivity. This theme is continued in the fourth chapter which looks at SALIENCE, by examining continuations from sentences with temporal connectives and notes that a tendency to continue text from the main clause is modified by an effect of continuing from the las: occurring event, irrespective of order in the text. The
comprehension sentence_contain temporal connective brings_together idea psychology particularly work sever linguistics particularly work nature temporal representation especially regard effect_different temporal connective language_processing second_look memory temporal information order indicate information temporal_order less_well remember information spatial order third_examines role introduce sentence either non conclude mat clear divide_two type sentence difference knowledge regularity world clearly non sentence reader definite expectation theme continue fourth look salience examine continuation sentence temporal connective note tendency continue text main clause modify effect continue occur event irrespective order text