An exemplar model should be able to explain all syntactic priming phenomena: A commentary on Ambridge (2020)

Katherine Messenger,Marion Coumel,Sophie M Hardy

doi:10.1177/0142723720904479

Abstract

The authors argue that Ambridge’s radical exemplar account of language cannot clearly explain all syntactic priming evidence, such as inverse preference effects ( greater priming for less frequent structures), and the contrast between short-lived lexical boost and long-lived abstract priming. Moreover, without recourse to a level of abstract syntactic structure, Ambridge’s account cannot explain abstract priming in amnesia patients or cross-linguistic priming. Instead, the authors argue that abstract representations remain the more parsimonious account for the wide variety of syntactic priming phenomena.

Highlights

Though there is currently no consensus over the exact mechanisms underlying syntactic priming – the phenomenon whereby people’s sentence processing is influenced by previously experienced syntactic structures – these effects have historically been viewed as key evidence that speakers store abstract representations of syntactic structure
This conclusion stems from evidence that priming occurs between language comprehension and production (Bock et al, 2007; Branigan et al, 1995) and in the absence of lexical or thematic overlap (Bock, 1989; Messenger et al, 2012), suggesting a shared store of representations based on abstract syntax
Priming occurs because, when the speaker analogises over exemplars to form a subsequent sentence, it is the prime exemplars that are more readily available for retrieval, having been recently activated. This model of priming might account for some effects, such as the increase in priming in the presence of lexical overlap, we argue, it cannot explain the full range of syntactic priming phenomena, many of which implicate a role for abstract syntactic representations in language processing

Summary

Introduction

Though there is currently no consensus over the exact mechanisms underlying syntactic priming – the phenomenon whereby people’s sentence processing is influenced by previously experienced syntactic structures – these effects have historically been viewed as key evidence that speakers store abstract representations of syntactic structure. This conclusion stems from evidence that priming occurs between language comprehension and production (Bock et al, 2007; Branigan et al, 1995) and in the absence of lexical or thematic overlap (Bock, 1989; Messenger et al, 2012), suggesting a shared store of representations based on abstract syntax.

Results

Conclusion