@article {pozniak:hal-03510031, title = {Failures of Gricean reasoning and the role of stereotypes in the production of gender marking in French}, journal = {Glossa: a journal of general linguistics (2021-...)}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, year = {2021}, month = {Jan}, publisher = {Open Library of Humanities}, doi = {10.5334/gjgl.1310}, url = {https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03510031}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Heather Burnett} } @article {burnett:hal-03510028, title = {Political dimensions of gender inclusive writing in Parisian universities}, journal = {Journal of Sociolinguistics}, volume = {25}, number = {5}, year = {2021}, month = {Nov}, pages = {808-831}, publisher = {Wiley}, doi = {10.1111/josl.12489}, url = {https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03510028}, author = {Heather Burnett and Pozniak, Celine} } @article {6475, title = {Empathy influences how listeners interpret intonation and meaning when words are ambiguous}, journal = {Memory and Cognition}, year = {2020}, doi = {10.3758/s13421-019-00990-w}, author = {Nuria Gibert Esteve and Shafer, Amy and Barbara Hemforth and Cristel Portes and Pozniak, Celine and D{\textquoteright}Imperio, Mariapaola} } @conference {6677, title = {Mathematical to language priming: New evidence from French}, year = {2020}, month = {09/2020}, address = {Potsdam (Virtual Conference)}, url = {https://amlap2020.github.io/a/187.pdf}, author = {Hedier, Antoine and Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth} } @article {6149, title = {Seeing events vs. entities: The processing advantage of Pseudo Relatives over Relative Clauses}, journal = {Journal of Memory and Language}, year = {2019}, month = {08/2019}, pages = {128-151}, abstract = {

We present the results of three offline questionnaires (one attachment preference study and two acceptability judgments) and two eye-tracking studies in French and English investigating the resolution of the ambiguity between Relative Clause and Pseudo Relative interpretations. This structural and interpretive ambiguity has recently been shown to play a central role in the explanation of apparent cross-linguistic asymmetries in Relative Clause attachment (Grillo \& Costa,\ 2014;\ Grillo et al.,\ 2015). This literature has argued that Pseudo Relatives are preferred to Relative Clauses because of their structural and interpretive simplicity. This paper adds to this growing body of literature in two ways. First we show that, in contrast to previous find- ings, French speakers prefer to attach Relative Clauses to the most local antecedent once Pseudo Relative availability is controlled for. We then provide a direct test for the Pseudo Relatives pref- erence, showing that Relative Clause disambiguation of strings that are initially compatible with a Pseudo Relative interpretation leads to degraded acceptability and longer fixation durations.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.04.001}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749596X19300415}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth and Yair Haendler and Andrea Santi and Nino Grillo} } @article {6363, title = {Cross-Domain Priming From Mathematics to Relative-Clause Attachment: A Visual-World Study in French}, journal = {Frontiers in Psychology}, year = {2018}, month = {Nov. 2018}, abstract = {

Human language processing must rely on a certain degree of abstraction, as we can produce and understand sentences that we have never produced or heard before. One way to establish syntactic abstraction is by investigating structural priming. Structural priming has been shown to be effective within a cognitive domain, in the present case, the linguistic domain. But does priming also work across different domains? In line with previous experiments, we investigated cross-domain structural priming from mathematical expressions to linguistic structures with respect to relative clause attachment in French (e.g., la fille du professeur qui habitait \à Paris/the daughter of the teacher who lived in Paris). Testing priming in French is particularly interesting because it will extend earlier results established for English to a language where the baseline for relative clause attachment preferences is different form English: in English, relative clauses (RCs) tend to be attached to the local noun phrase (low attachment) while in French there is a preference for high attachment of relative clauses to the first noun phrase (NP). Moreover, in contrast to earlier studies, we applied an online-technique (visual world eye-tracking). Our results confirm cross-domain priming from mathematics to linguistic structures in French. Most interestingly, different from less mathematically adept participants, we found that in mathematically skilled participants, the effect emerged very early on (at the beginning of the relative clause in the speech stream) and is also present later (at the end of the relative clause). In line with previous findings, our experiment suggests that mathematics and language share aspects of syntactic structure at a very high-level of abstraction.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02056}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth and Scheepers, Christoph} } @conference {5626, title = { Cross-domain priming from mathematics to relative-clause attachment: A visual-world study in French}, year = {2017}, month = {04/2017}, address = {Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Scheepers, Christoph} } @conference {6068, title = {It{\textquoteright}s all about the head: Implicit causality effects on subject and object RCs}, year = {2017}, month = {09/2017}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth} } @conference {5625, title = {Relative clause processing, structural and linear distance matter - Evidence from Mandarin, Cantonese and English Visual World experiments}, year = {2017}, month = {04/2017}, address = {Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston }, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Jiaying Huang and Barbara Hemforth} } @article {4716, title = {Acquisition des pronoms objets en fran{\c c}ais langue seconde}, journal = {Discours}, year = {2016}, abstract = {

Abstract

Acquisition of object pronouns in L2 French is always a source of problems for every learners regardless of their L1. Based on a study from Gr\üter \& Crago (2012), we ran an elicited production experiment as well as a Reading Span task with two groups of learners whose L1 is German and Mandarin Chinese. A control of French native speakers was added as a control group. We looked at the acquisition of object pronouns in different contexts and depending on the verb type. Our results showed that the two groups of learners have a similar pattern of production. Moreover, reflexive pronouns seem to be the most difficult type of pronouns to master for both groups of Mandarin Chinese and German, which supposes that this form is especially different from other object pronouns and difficult. Our findings suggest that influence of the L1 and level in L2 French are not the major factors for explaining Second Language Acquisition of object pronouns, but that Working Memory does play a role as well.

Key words : acquisition, bilingualism, working memory, production, object pronoun, French.

R\ésum\é

L\&$\#$39;acquisition des pronoms objets en fran\çais L2 est une r\éelle difficult\é pour tous les apprenants de diff\érentes L1. En s\&$\#$39;inspirant de l\&$\#$39;\étude de Gr\üter \& Crago (2012), nous avons r\éalis\é une exp\érience de production ainsi qu\&$\#$39;un test de m\émoire de travail avec deux groupes d\&$\#$39;apprenants dont la L1 est respectivement l\&$\#$39;allemand et le chinois mandarin. Un groupe de fran\çais a \ét\é inclus \également en tant que groupe de contr\ôle. Notre exp\érience permet d\&$\#$39;approfondir la recherche sur les pronoms objets notamment en regardant leur ma\îtrise par les apprenants dans diff\érents contextes et selon diff\érents types de verbes. Les r\ésultats montrent le m\ême pattern pour les deux groupes d\&$\#$39;apprenants. Egalement, on constate que les pronoms objets semblent \être mieux ma\îtris\és dans les contextes appropri\és que les r\éfl\échis, que ce soit pour le groupe allemand ou le groupe chinois, ce qui indiquerait une difficult\é sp\écifique de cette forme. Nous envisagerons finalement le fait que le facteur d\éterminant ne serait pas uniquement la langue maternelle ou la comp\étence en L2 mais \également la m\émoire de travail.

Mots-cl\és : acquisition, bilinguisme, m\émoire de travail, production, clitique objet, fran\çais.

}, url = {https://discours.revues.org/9120}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth} } @conference {4718, title = {Competition of linear and structural distance in relative clause processing - Evidence from Mandarin and Cantonese Visual World experiments}, year = {2016}, month = {09/2016}, abstract = {

RC processing confronts three major theories: linear distance theories versus frequency/structure based theories. Languages such as English don\&$\#$39;t allow to decide between them since all predict a Subject Relative preference, while linear distance predicts an Object Relative preference for Mandarin.\ 
In three VW-Eye-Tracking experiments we found a slight but not robust SR preference consistent with the proposition that RC processing involves a competition between linear distance and frequency/structure based factors. Cantonese has prenominal RCs as Mandarin but is different in that it has two major RC-types: one similar to Mandarin with a relativizer (ge3), and one without relativizer. It has been argued that linear distance doesn\&$\#$39;t play a role in structures without relativizer which may be analysed as adjoined. For Cantonese, RCs with relativizer show a slight (marginal) SR preference, however for RCs without relativizer, there is a strong (significant) advantage for SRs. Moreover, RCs without relativizer are generally easier to process than RCs with relativizer. Since for RCs without relativizer only frequency/structure based factors should be at work, the significant SR advantage is predicted, and so is the lack of difference between SRs and ORs in RCs with relativizer, in which the factors are in competition.

}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Jiaying Huang and Barbara Hemforth} } @conference {4720, title = {French object relatives: all is good when the context is right}, year = {2016}, month = {09/2016}, abstract = {

In experiments and corpus studies, we compared two types of French Object Relatives: with preverbal subject (le livre que Paul lit, \&$\#$39;the book that Paul reads\&$\#$39;) and with inverted subject (le livre que lit Paul). The linear distance hypothesis predicts the latter should be easier to process. However, in a Visual World experiment using reversible RCs with agentive verbs, we found the former to be easier.\ 
In a corpus study, we looked at general frequency of OR-types, verb semantics (+/- agentive), relative length of subject and verb in number of syllables, and the number of arguments in the OR. Logistic regressions show that the two ORs don\&$\#$39;t differ significantly in frequency, excluding a frequency-based explanation. Inverted ORs are actually preferred when the subject is longer, and the verb shorter with a non agentive meaning. Our findings showed that general frequency cannot be the factor explaining the use of the two ORs, but that verb semantics and length play a role. This means that the two ORs are not just alternatives but used in specific syntactic/semantic conditions. An acceptability judgement experiment confirmed that inverted ORs can be preferred over non-inverted ORs when the subject is longer and the verb non agentive.

}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth and Anne Abeill{\'e}} } @conference {4710, title = {French object relatives: evidence against DLT but not entirely explained by frequency}, year = {2016}, month = {03/2016}, abstract = {

French object relatives: evidence against DLT but not entirely explained by frequency

C{\'e}line Pozniak, Barbara Hemforth \& Anne Abeill{\'e} (LLF, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Diderot, Labex EFL)

celine.pozniak@gmail.com

The literature in relative clause processing mainly presents differences between subject and object relative clauses (SRs and ORs). In our study, we will also compare two constructions for ORs: one with preverbal subject (ORsnoinv) and one with postverbal subject (ORsinv). Inversion is only possible with nominal subjects, not with pronominal subjects.

(1) OR with preverbal subject
Le m{\'e}decin que l\&$\#$39;avocat voit ___.

The doctor thatobj the lawyersubj sees.
Example (1) shows that the linear distance is shorter in ORsinv , so it should be easier to process than

ORsnoinv according to the Dependency Locality Theory, now DLT (Gibson, 2000).
Study 1 We designed an experiment to test linear distance-based theories in French in contexts with

high anticipation of restrictive relative clauses.
Experiment We ran a Visual World Eye-Tracking experiment (5 items per condition) with 32

native French speakers. We tested reversible SRs, ORsnoinv, ORsinv (1-3). The participants listened to a sentence while viewing 2 pictures with the same 3 characters each performing different actions. They had to find the correct picture according to the sentence. One picture was only compatible with an SR interpretation, the other one only with an OR interpretation.

Results Mixed linear models showed a significant SR advantage over the two ORs (ps\<.01). Participants looked at the right picture in later time windows for ORinv than for ORnoninv (ps\<.01), against linear distance accounts. These results seem, however, to go against the intuition that ORinv are relatively frequent in French, but possibly only under specific conditions.

Study 2 We therefore ran a corpus study using the French Treebank (Abeill{\'e} et al, 2003) to analyze factors for facilitating inverted and non-inverted RCs.

Corpus study We analyzed a corpus of the two ORs by looking at the semantics of the verb (+/- agentive), the length of the subject and the verb in number of syllables, and the number of arguments in the relative. We analyzed the role of these factors for the choice of the order in the relative using logistic regression models.

Results Logistic regressions show that the two ORs don\’t differ significantly in frequency, excluding a simple frequency-based explanation (94 ORsnoinv and 90 ORsinv). However, ORsinv are actually preferred over ORsnoinv when the subject is longer, and the verb is shorter and has a non agentive meaning (ps\< .01).

Conclusion In our Eye-Tracking experiment, ORsinv were harder to process than ORsnoinv, contradicting the DLT. However, the corpus study showed that general frequency cannot be the factor explaining this contrast. The verb semantics and the length of the subject and verb play a role in the choice of relative. This means that ORsnoinv and ORsinv are not just alternatives but used in specific contexts. The context in the experiment disfavored the use of ORsinv because of the use of agentive verbs. In the right context, ORsinv should even be preferred and acceptability judgment studies on this matter are currently on the way. Our results are highly compatible with semantic/pragmatic accounts in relative clause processing (Mak et al, 2006; Traxler et al, 2002).\ 

}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth and Anne Abeill{\'e}} } @conference {4712, title = {Mandarin relative clause processing or the joy of replication.}, year = {2016}, month = {03/2016}, abstract = {

Mandarin relative clause processing or the joy of replication.

C{\'e}line Pozniak, Barbara Hemforth (LLF, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Diderot, Labex EFL)

Celine.pozniak@gmail.com

Subject relative clauses (SRs) are considered as being easier to process than object relative clauses (ORs) cross-linguistically. However, Mandarin has been claimed to behave differently, since Hsiao \& Gibson (2003) found an OR advantage compatible with linear distance effects as predicted by the Dependency Locality Theory (DLT) (Gibson, 2000). Chen et al. (2011), however, found that SRs are easier to process in Mandarin, in line with frequency/structure based predictions. To explain these diverging results, Vasishth et al. (2013) suggested in a meta-analysis that there may actually be no significant difference at all or just a slight SR advantage possibly because the two effects (frequency/structure and linear distance effects) cancel each other out. Still, this meta-analysis included experiments with known methodological problems (such as contexts allowing for non-RC analysis). Thus, we ran a series of replication of experiments with different groups of participants to test the robustness of the preferences.

Our study We designed an experiment to test frequency/structure based versus linear distance based theories presenting RCs in contexts with very high anticipation of restrictive RCs. Experiments We ran a Visual World Eye-Tracking experiment (5 items per condition) with 41 native Mandarin Chinese speakers for Exp1, 23 native Mandarin Chinese speakers for Exp2 (both groups living in Paris) and 34 native Mandarin Chinese speakers in China (Nanjing) (Exp3). Exp1 and Exp2 were identical except for the speed of presentation of the auditory material. Presentation was slowed down in Exp1 in order to clearly capture fixation patterns. We sped up the presentation in Exp2 to enhance cognitive load. Exp2 and Exp3 were identical. We tested reversible SRs and ORs (1-2). Participants listened to a sentence while viewing a pair of pictures with the same three characters each performing different actions. The task was to find the correct picture corresponding to the sentence. One of the pictures was only compatible with an SR interpretation, the other one only with an OR interpretation.

Results Linear mixed models showed no significant difference between SRs and ORs in Exp1 (Figure 1), probably because of the reduced speed of the presentation. Increasing the speed in Exp2 (Figure 2) resulted in a significant SR advantage in Mandarin (ps\<.05) but not in Exp3 (Figure 3) where numeric but no significant difference could be established. Conclusion In a study with constraining context replicated three times, we find only a slight SR advantage when combining the results from the three experiments (Figure 4). We follow Vasishth et al. \‘s proposition that RCs processing involves a competition between frequency/structure and linear distance effects, which may cancel each other out. Our results do not show any evidence for an OR preference, disconfirming DLT. The lack of stability of preferences in Mandarin relative clause processing pertains even when using the same paradigm. This shows why it is so important in psycholinguistics to replicate experiments in order to test the robustness of the factors playing a role in sentence processing.

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}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth} } @conference {4547, title = {Processing Mandarin relative clauses}, year = {2015}, month = {09/2015}, address = {Malta}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth} } @conference {4462, title = {Processing subject and object relative clauses in French and Mandarin Chinese}, year = {2015}, month = {03/2015}, address = {Los Angeles}, doi = {10.13140/RG.2.1.1456.8481}, author = {Pozniak, Celine and Barbara Hemforth} } @conference {4464, title = {Pseudo relatives are easier than relative clauses: evidence from Tense}, year = {2015}, month = {03/2015}, address = {Los Angeles}, url = {http://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/836/docs/CUNY_program_web_reduced_edits_sponsors.pdf}, author = {Nino Grillo and Barbara Hemforth and Pozniak, Celine and Andrea Santi} } @conference {4545, title = {Pseudo Relatives are easier than Relative Clauses: eyetracking evidence from tense}, year = {2015}, month = {09/2015}, address = {Malta}, author = {Nino Grillo and Barbara Hemforth and Pozniak, Celine and Andrea Santi} }