Jacee Cho | University of Wisconsin-Madison (original) (raw)
Papers by Jacee Cho
Proceedings of International Conference of Experimental Linguistics
Second Language Research, Nov 30, 2022
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 2020
This study examines effects of memory load on the processing of scalar implicature via a dual-tas... more This study examines effects of memory load on the processing of scalar implicature via a dual-task paradigm using reading span and self-paced reading. Results indicate that participants showed online sensitivity to underinformative sentences (e.g., Some birds have wings and beaks) at the end of the sentence. This online sensitivity disappeared when participants were under increased memory load. Moreover, participants in the memory-load condition did not show sensitivity to semantically false sentences (e.g., All books have pictures and drawings). These results pose important conceptual and methodological questions of (1) whether the processing cost associated with scalar implicatures can be attributed to general proposition evaluation rather than scalar implicature derivation per se (Bale et al. in Semant Linguist Theory 20:525-543, 2010), and (2) to what degree memory load affects implicature computation only. I conclude with a discussion of these two issues for future research.
Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 2020
This study examines L1-Korean speakers’ online processing and offline judgments of L2-English art... more This study examines L1-Korean speakers’ online processing and offline judgments of L2-English articles using a self-paced task (SPRT) targeting implicit knowledge and an untimed acceptability judgment task (AJT) assessing explicit knowledge. SPRT results indicate that L1-Korean speakers exhibited targetlike online sensitivity to (in)appropriate use of articles, which provides evidence against the claim that L2-specific morphosyntactic structures cannot be utilized during online comprehension (Jiang, 2007). However, the same L2 speakers showed non-targetlike judgment patterns in the AJT. The discrepancy between online and offline performance is discussed in terms of the role of task effects on L2 performance and the development of implicit and explicit knowledge for L2 articles in the acquisition process. Methodological considerations for evaluating L2 knowledge are also discussed.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2019
International Journal of Bilingualism, 2016
Aims and research questions: This study aims to investigate second language (L2) learnability in ... more Aims and research questions: This study aims to investigate second language (L2) learnability in article acquisition from a feature-based contrastive approach by examining L1-Korean speakers’ comprehension of different types of definites in L2-English: anaphoric and non-anaphoric definites. English does not morphologically distinguish different kinds of definites but some languages do (e.g., Fering) (Schwarz, 2013). Korean, an article-less language, differentiates between the two types of definites by marking only one type (i.e., anaphoric) with the demonstrative ku ‘that’ (Chang, 2009). That is, the English definite article ‘the’ encodes [+definite, ±anaphoric] and the Korean demonstrative ‘ku’ encodes [+definite, +anaphoric]. Within the feature reassembly model (Lardiere, 2009), this difference in feature combinations between Korean and English is expected to influence L1-Korean learners’ interpretation of English articles. Methodology: An acceptability judgment task was used to assess L1-Korean L2-English learners (22 intermediate and 15 advanced) and 26 English native-speaker controls’ comprehension of different types of definites. Data: The intermediate group rated definites significantly higher than indefinites in anaphoric definite contexts but not in non-anaphoric definite contexts, indicating L1 influence. The advanced group rated definites higher than indefinites in non-bridging anaphoric contexts but not in bridging (anaphoric and non-anaphoric) contexts. This suggests that they have re-assembled the features associated with the definite article but have difficulty in accommodating unmentioned propositions for bridging definites. Conclusion: These findings suggest that presupposition accommodation for bridging definites may be another hurdle in article acquisition beyond feature reassembly. Originality/Significance: By focusing on the acquisition of the semantics of definites, exclusively, this study provides new data and information which enable us to come to a more precise and fine-grained understanding of learnability in article acquisition. Thus, the results of the study bring out new and insightful conceptual issues that open up new directions for future research on the acquisition of definiteness.
Russian Language Journal, 2008
Applied Linguistics, 2015
Second Language Research, 2014
This article investigates the second language (L2) acquisition of two expressions of the semantic... more This article investigates the second language (L2) acquisition of two expressions of the semantic feature [definite] in Russian, a language without articles, by English and Korean native speakers. Within the Feature Reassembly approach (Lardiere, 2009), Slabakova (2009) has argued that reassembling features that are represented overtly in the first language (L1) and mapping them onto those that are encoded indirectly, or covertly, in the L2 will present a greater difficulty than reassembling features in the opposite learning direction. An idealized scale of predictions of difficulty is proposed based on the overt or covert character of the feature encoding and the ease/difficulty of noticing the feature expression. A total of 158 participants (56 native Russian, 49 English learners and 53 Korean learners of Russian) evaluated the acceptability of test sentences in context. Findings demonstrate that acquiring the expression of a feature that is encoded contextually in the L2 is chall...
This paper explores the extent to which L1-Korean L2-English speakers’ L1 influences the computat... more This paper explores the extent to which L1-Korean L2-English speakers’ L1 influences the computation of conversational implicatures for the definite and demonstrative determiners the and that in English. Both the and that denote unique referents, but that carries implication of contrast (Roberts, 2002). Following Submaxim 2 of the Gricean Quantity Maxim, using that instead of unmarked the implicates that the referent is being implicitly contrasted with other members of the same noun. Korean has no equivalent for the and the demonstrative ku ‘that’ is situated on the semantic scale between the and that. This partial overlap could influence L1-Korean L2-English speakers’ implicature computation even though ku also carries implication of contrast. Acceptability judgment data indicate that unlike native speakers, L2 speakers did not show sensitivity to infelicitous use of that, indicating difficulty computing implicatures. Results are discussed in terms of crosslinguistic influence at t...
![Research paper thumbnail of 1 Where is the Feature [ Definite ] Encoded in Russian ? : Empirical Data from L 2 Acquisition](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/76494259/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](For close to two decades, researchers have wrestled with the controversial issue of whether langu... more For close to two decades, researchers have wrestled with the controversial issue of whether languages without overt articles have a DP projection The existence of the DP in Russian is examined in the present study by investigating the acquisition of (in)definiteness in L2 Russian by L1 English learners. In Russian, adjectival modifiers denoting possession give an indefinite interpretation of the possessor (e.g., ženskij' golos (woman-adj. voice) 'a woman's voice'), whereas postnominal possessive genitive modifiers can express either definiteness or indefiniteness (e.g., golos ženšiny (voice (of) woman-noun-gen) 'a/the woman's voice) (Apresjan, 1995). The claim is that the null D [possession] requiring genitive case is unmarked, whereas the null D [default] with no requirement of a specific case is interpreted as indefinite. The present study investigates whether L1 speakers of an overt article language (i.e., English) are able to acquire [±def] when it is not...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2019
A direct scalar implicature (DSI) arises when a sentence with a weaker term like sometimes implie... more A direct scalar implicature (DSI) arises when a sentence with a weaker term like sometimes implies the negation of the stronger alternative always (e.g., John sometimes (∼ not always) drinks coffee). A reverse implicature, often referred to as indirect scalar implicature (ISI), arises when the stronger term is under negation and implicates the weaker alternative (e.g., John doesn't always (∼ sometimes) drink coffee). Recent research suggests that English-speaking adults and children behave differently in interpreting these two types of SI (Cremers and Chemla, 2014; Bill et al., 2016). However, little attention has been paid to how these two types of SI are processed in a non-native, or second language (L2). By using a covered box paradigm, this study examines how these two types of SI are computed and suspended in a second language by measuring the visible vs. covered picture selection percentage as well as response times (RTs) taken for the selection. Data collected from 26 native speakers of English to 24 L1-Chinese L2-English learners showed that unlike native speakers, L2 speakers showed asymmetries in their generation and suspension of DSI and ISI. That is, L2 speakers computed DSI more often than ISI, but they suspended ISI more frequently than DSI. Furthermore, our RT data suggested that L2 speakers suspended ISI not only more frequently but also significantly faster than DSI. Regarding the asymmetrical behavior among L2 speakers, we consider the number of alternative meanings involved in DSI vs. ISI suspension and different routes to the suspension of SI.
The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension o... more The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension of L2 functional morphology is due to problems in activating L2 grammatical meanings that are not morphologically marked in L1 . The present study examines whether the hypothesis holds true in L2 offline performance by comparing L1-English and L1-Korean speakers' offline comprehension of the L2 Russian Genitive of Negation encoding specificity in negative sentences. Specificity under negation is morphologically encoded in Russian and Korean but not in English. In an acceptability judgment task, however, L1-English and L1-Korean speakers have shown similar judgment patterns. These results suggest that morphological congruency may not have the same effect in offline performance as in online performance.
Benjamin Publishing, 2018
The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension o... more The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension of L2 functional morphology is due to problems in activating L2 grammatical meanings that are not morphologically marked in L1 (Jiang, 2004, 2007). The present study examines whether the hypothesis holds true in L2 offline performance by comparing L1-English and L1-Korean speakers’ offline comprehension of the L2 Russian Genitive of Negation encoding specificity in negative sentences. Specificity under negation is morphologically encoded in Russian and Korean but not in English. In an acceptability judgment
task, however, L1-English and L1-Korean speakers have shown similar judgment patterns. These results suggest that morphological congruency may not have the same effect in offline performance as in online performance.
Proceedings of International Conference of Experimental Linguistics
Second Language Research, Nov 30, 2022
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 2020
This study examines effects of memory load on the processing of scalar implicature via a dual-tas... more This study examines effects of memory load on the processing of scalar implicature via a dual-task paradigm using reading span and self-paced reading. Results indicate that participants showed online sensitivity to underinformative sentences (e.g., Some birds have wings and beaks) at the end of the sentence. This online sensitivity disappeared when participants were under increased memory load. Moreover, participants in the memory-load condition did not show sensitivity to semantically false sentences (e.g., All books have pictures and drawings). These results pose important conceptual and methodological questions of (1) whether the processing cost associated with scalar implicatures can be attributed to general proposition evaluation rather than scalar implicature derivation per se (Bale et al. in Semant Linguist Theory 20:525-543, 2010), and (2) to what degree memory load affects implicature computation only. I conclude with a discussion of these two issues for future research.
Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 2020
This study examines L1-Korean speakers’ online processing and offline judgments of L2-English art... more This study examines L1-Korean speakers’ online processing and offline judgments of L2-English articles using a self-paced task (SPRT) targeting implicit knowledge and an untimed acceptability judgment task (AJT) assessing explicit knowledge. SPRT results indicate that L1-Korean speakers exhibited targetlike online sensitivity to (in)appropriate use of articles, which provides evidence against the claim that L2-specific morphosyntactic structures cannot be utilized during online comprehension (Jiang, 2007). However, the same L2 speakers showed non-targetlike judgment patterns in the AJT. The discrepancy between online and offline performance is discussed in terms of the role of task effects on L2 performance and the development of implicit and explicit knowledge for L2 articles in the acquisition process. Methodological considerations for evaluating L2 knowledge are also discussed.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2019
International Journal of Bilingualism, 2016
Aims and research questions: This study aims to investigate second language (L2) learnability in ... more Aims and research questions: This study aims to investigate second language (L2) learnability in article acquisition from a feature-based contrastive approach by examining L1-Korean speakers’ comprehension of different types of definites in L2-English: anaphoric and non-anaphoric definites. English does not morphologically distinguish different kinds of definites but some languages do (e.g., Fering) (Schwarz, 2013). Korean, an article-less language, differentiates between the two types of definites by marking only one type (i.e., anaphoric) with the demonstrative ku ‘that’ (Chang, 2009). That is, the English definite article ‘the’ encodes [+definite, ±anaphoric] and the Korean demonstrative ‘ku’ encodes [+definite, +anaphoric]. Within the feature reassembly model (Lardiere, 2009), this difference in feature combinations between Korean and English is expected to influence L1-Korean learners’ interpretation of English articles. Methodology: An acceptability judgment task was used to assess L1-Korean L2-English learners (22 intermediate and 15 advanced) and 26 English native-speaker controls’ comprehension of different types of definites. Data: The intermediate group rated definites significantly higher than indefinites in anaphoric definite contexts but not in non-anaphoric definite contexts, indicating L1 influence. The advanced group rated definites higher than indefinites in non-bridging anaphoric contexts but not in bridging (anaphoric and non-anaphoric) contexts. This suggests that they have re-assembled the features associated with the definite article but have difficulty in accommodating unmentioned propositions for bridging definites. Conclusion: These findings suggest that presupposition accommodation for bridging definites may be another hurdle in article acquisition beyond feature reassembly. Originality/Significance: By focusing on the acquisition of the semantics of definites, exclusively, this study provides new data and information which enable us to come to a more precise and fine-grained understanding of learnability in article acquisition. Thus, the results of the study bring out new and insightful conceptual issues that open up new directions for future research on the acquisition of definiteness.
Russian Language Journal, 2008
Applied Linguistics, 2015
Second Language Research, 2014
This article investigates the second language (L2) acquisition of two expressions of the semantic... more This article investigates the second language (L2) acquisition of two expressions of the semantic feature [definite] in Russian, a language without articles, by English and Korean native speakers. Within the Feature Reassembly approach (Lardiere, 2009), Slabakova (2009) has argued that reassembling features that are represented overtly in the first language (L1) and mapping them onto those that are encoded indirectly, or covertly, in the L2 will present a greater difficulty than reassembling features in the opposite learning direction. An idealized scale of predictions of difficulty is proposed based on the overt or covert character of the feature encoding and the ease/difficulty of noticing the feature expression. A total of 158 participants (56 native Russian, 49 English learners and 53 Korean learners of Russian) evaluated the acceptability of test sentences in context. Findings demonstrate that acquiring the expression of a feature that is encoded contextually in the L2 is chall...
This paper explores the extent to which L1-Korean L2-English speakers’ L1 influences the computat... more This paper explores the extent to which L1-Korean L2-English speakers’ L1 influences the computation of conversational implicatures for the definite and demonstrative determiners the and that in English. Both the and that denote unique referents, but that carries implication of contrast (Roberts, 2002). Following Submaxim 2 of the Gricean Quantity Maxim, using that instead of unmarked the implicates that the referent is being implicitly contrasted with other members of the same noun. Korean has no equivalent for the and the demonstrative ku ‘that’ is situated on the semantic scale between the and that. This partial overlap could influence L1-Korean L2-English speakers’ implicature computation even though ku also carries implication of contrast. Acceptability judgment data indicate that unlike native speakers, L2 speakers did not show sensitivity to infelicitous use of that, indicating difficulty computing implicatures. Results are discussed in terms of crosslinguistic influence at t...
For close to two decades, researchers have wrestled with the controversial issue of whether langu... more For close to two decades, researchers have wrestled with the controversial issue of whether languages without overt articles have a DP projection The existence of the DP in Russian is examined in the present study by investigating the acquisition of (in)definiteness in L2 Russian by L1 English learners. In Russian, adjectival modifiers denoting possession give an indefinite interpretation of the possessor (e.g., ženskij' golos (woman-adj. voice) 'a woman's voice'), whereas postnominal possessive genitive modifiers can express either definiteness or indefiniteness (e.g., golos ženšiny (voice (of) woman-noun-gen) 'a/the woman's voice) (Apresjan, 1995). The claim is that the null D [possession] requiring genitive case is unmarked, whereas the null D [default] with no requirement of a specific case is interpreted as indefinite. The present study investigates whether L1 speakers of an overt article language (i.e., English) are able to acquire [±def] when it is not...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2019
A direct scalar implicature (DSI) arises when a sentence with a weaker term like sometimes implie... more A direct scalar implicature (DSI) arises when a sentence with a weaker term like sometimes implies the negation of the stronger alternative always (e.g., John sometimes (∼ not always) drinks coffee). A reverse implicature, often referred to as indirect scalar implicature (ISI), arises when the stronger term is under negation and implicates the weaker alternative (e.g., John doesn't always (∼ sometimes) drink coffee). Recent research suggests that English-speaking adults and children behave differently in interpreting these two types of SI (Cremers and Chemla, 2014; Bill et al., 2016). However, little attention has been paid to how these two types of SI are processed in a non-native, or second language (L2). By using a covered box paradigm, this study examines how these two types of SI are computed and suspended in a second language by measuring the visible vs. covered picture selection percentage as well as response times (RTs) taken for the selection. Data collected from 26 native speakers of English to 24 L1-Chinese L2-English learners showed that unlike native speakers, L2 speakers showed asymmetries in their generation and suspension of DSI and ISI. That is, L2 speakers computed DSI more often than ISI, but they suspended ISI more frequently than DSI. Furthermore, our RT data suggested that L2 speakers suspended ISI not only more frequently but also significantly faster than DSI. Regarding the asymmetrical behavior among L2 speakers, we consider the number of alternative meanings involved in DSI vs. ISI suspension and different routes to the suspension of SI.
The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension o... more The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension of L2 functional morphology is due to problems in activating L2 grammatical meanings that are not morphologically marked in L1 . The present study examines whether the hypothesis holds true in L2 offline performance by comparing L1-English and L1-Korean speakers' offline comprehension of the L2 Russian Genitive of Negation encoding specificity in negative sentences. Specificity under negation is morphologically encoded in Russian and Korean but not in English. In an acceptability judgment task, however, L1-English and L1-Korean speakers have shown similar judgment patterns. These results suggest that morphological congruency may not have the same effect in offline performance as in online performance.
Benjamin Publishing, 2018
The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension o... more The Morphological Congruency Hypothesis states that non-target-like production or comprehension of L2 functional morphology is due to problems in activating L2 grammatical meanings that are not morphologically marked in L1 (Jiang, 2004, 2007). The present study examines whether the hypothesis holds true in L2 offline performance by comparing L1-English and L1-Korean speakers’ offline comprehension of the L2 Russian Genitive of Negation encoding specificity in negative sentences. Specificity under negation is morphologically encoded in Russian and Korean but not in English. In an acceptability judgment
task, however, L1-English and L1-Korean speakers have shown similar judgment patterns. These results suggest that morphological congruency may not have the same effect in offline performance as in online performance.
This study examined the acquisition of the Russian indefinite determiners (kakoj-to ‘which-to’ an... more This study examined the acquisition of the Russian indefinite determiners (kakoj-to ‘which-to’ and kakoj-nibud’ ‘which-nibud’’) encoding scopal specificity by English and Korean native speakers within the feature-based contrastive framework (Lardiere 2008, 2009). The specificity markers kakoj-to and kakoj-nibud’ are reflections of different values of three major nominal features: definiteness, scopal specificity, and referentiality. The learning task for each functional item differs with respect to mapping and reconfiguration of the feature combinations. Our experimental data suggest that the morpheme kakoj-to was acquired early since English (some) and Korean (eotteon ‘some’) have the corresponding morphemes with the same featural representation as the Russian kakoj-to. The morpheme kakoj-nibud’ presented a greater difficulty since its featural make-up is not overtly realized in English or Korean, that is, learners had to reassemble the target feature set. Such developmental patterns provide evidence that feature reassembly poses a challenge in second language acquisition. On the basis of the findings, pedagogical implications are discussed.