Processing of Internal and External Arguments in Focus in Simple Declarative Sentences in Turkish

Year 2024, Volume: 20 Issue: 1, 1 - 16, 09.01.2024

Engin Evrim Önem

Abstract

Information structuring is the organization of information within a sentence. Among the segments of information structuring, focus is considered as the linguistic element bearing new information in a sentence and monotransitive verbs require one external and one internal argument, either of which can be focused. This paper investigates the effect of different preverbal positions of separately focused arguments on processing simple declarative sentences in Turkish. To achieve this, 128 sets of question-answer pairs hosting focused NPs functioning as either internal or external arguments in different preverbal positions are administered to 28 native speakers of Turkish via a self-paced reading test. The statistical analyses reveal a difference in reading time of simple declarative sentences containing separately focused internal and external arguments scrambled into different preverbal positions in Turkish. Although the difference in reading time of sentences focusing on external arguments is not statistically significant, the reading time difference for internal arguments depending on the preverbal positions is statistically significant. The study reveals that internal arguments are processed faster in the immediate preverbal position, but this position does not make a difference in the processing of external arguments. The findings suggest that low memory load and adjacency to the verb have an important role in the processing of the focus in simple declarative sentences in Turkish.

Keywords

Turkish, scrambling, focus, focus position, immediate preverbal position, sentence-initial position.

Türkçe Basit Bildirim Tümcelerinde Odaklanılan İçsel ve Dışsal Yüklem Öğelerinin İşlenmesi

Abstract

Bilgi yapılandırması, bir tümce içindeki bilginin düzenlenmesidir. Bilgi yapılandırma parçalarından biri olarak odak, bir tümcede yeni bilgi taşıyan dilbilimsel unsur olarak değerlendirilir ve tek geçişli (monotransitive) eylemler herhangi biri odak olabilen içsel veya dışsal yüklem öğesi gerektirir. Bu makale, ayrı ayrı odaklanmış yüklem öğesinin farklı söz öncesi konumlarının Türkçede basit bildirim tümcelerini işlemleme üzerindeki etkisini araştırmaktadır. Bunun için farklı eylem öncesi konumlarda içsel veya dışsal yüklem öğesi işlevinde bulunan odaklanmış AÖ'leri barındıran 128 soru-cevap seti, kendi hızında okuma testi aracılığıyla anadili Türkçe olan 28 kişiye uygulanmıştır. İstatistiksel analizler, Türkçede farklı eylem öncesi pozisyonlarda ayrı ayrı odaklanmış içsel ve dışsal yüklem öğelerini içeren basit bildirim tümcelerinin okuma süresinde bir fark olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Dışsal yüklem öğelerine odaklanan tümcelerin okuma süresindeki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olmasa da içsel yüklem öğeleri için eylem öncesi pozisyonlara bağlı okuma süresi farkı istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olarak görülmüştür. Çalışma sonucunda içsel yüklem öğelerinin eylem öncesi konumdayken daha hızlı işlemlemlendiği ama bu konumun dışsal yüklem öğelerinin işlemlenmesinde fark yaratmadığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Bulgular, düşük bellek yükünün ve eyleme bitişikliğin Türkçedeki basit bildirim tümcelerindeki odağın işlenmesinde önemli bir rolü olduğunu göstermektedir.

Keywords

Türkçe, çalkalama, odak, odak konumu, hemen eylem öncesi konum, tümce başı konumu.

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