It has been suggested that semantics provide important clues to underlying linguistic structure. The present results supported this suggestion, since self-embedded sentences containing 3 relative clauses were easier to decode when semantic clues were present. Lack of transfer of learning from one set of sentences to another set of similarly constructed sentences was interpreted as supporting models of linguistic competence and language acquisition that give greater emphasis to context-specific processes.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ChomskyN.Syntactic structures. The Hague: Mouton, 1957.
2.
ChomskyN.Aspects of the theory of syntax. Cambridge: M.I.T. Press, 1965.
3.
HallidayM. A. K.Functional diversity in language as seen from a consideration of modality and mood in English. Journal of Linguistics, 1968, 4, 179–215.
