Counting on number: effects of number information on grammatical processing of mass and count nouns

Previous research has found an influence of semantic number (SINGLE, MULTIPLE) on grammatical processing of mass nouns in people with aphasia. This is the first study to investigate these effects in language-unimpaired individuals. In two experiments, participants had to decide which were the appropriate determiners (e.g. Experiment 1: a_{singularcount} – some_{mass/plural count}) for the name of mass and count noun pictures that were depicted either as single (one bulb of garlic_mass, one cat_count) or as multiple objects (three bulbs of garlic_mass, three cats_count). Semantic number congruency between depictions and determiners was manipulated for mass nouns. A semantic number congruency effect was found in both experiments with faster and more accurate determiner decisions in the number congruent (e.g. Experiment 1: MULTIPLE) compared to the number incongruent condition (e.g. Experiment 1: SINGLE). These results provide further evidence for an influence of semantic number information on lexical-syntactic processing of mass nouns.

既往研究已证实，语义数（SINGLE、MULTIPLE）对失语症（aphasia）患者的物质名词（mass nouns）语法加工存在影响。本研究为首项针对语言无障碍个体探究此类效应的学术工作。在两项实验中，被试需为对应物质名词与可数名词（count nouns）的图片命名，选择恰当的限定词（determiners）：例如实验1中需匹配a_单数可数 – some_{物质名词/复数可数}这类限定词；实验所用图片所呈现的物体可分为单个（如1瓣大蒜_mass、1只猫_count）与多个（如3瓣大蒜_mass、3只猫_count）两类。研究针对物质名词操控了图片呈现与限定词之间的语义数一致性。两项实验均观测到语义数一致性效应：相较于语义数不一致条件（例如实验1：SINGLE），语义数一致条件（例如实验1：MULTIPLE）下，被试的限定词判断速度更快、准确率更高。本研究结果进一步为语义数信息对物质名词词汇-句法加工的影响提供了实证支持。