句子理解的关键--对句法和语义关系的再探讨

The Key Respect of Sentence Comprehension: A Further Review on the Relation between Syntax and Semantics

对于句子理解中句法和语义的关系,传统的模块化观点认为,句法信息优先于语义信息,句法加工支配着句子的理解过程。近期,这种强调句法优先的理论受到了一系列ERP(Event-related potentials)研究结果的挑战,这些研究从不同角度论证了语义信息对句法加工及句子整合加工的重要作用。基于这些研究发现,研究者提出句子理解过程中句法和语义的关系并非一成不变:一些情况下可能是句法支配语义加工,而另一些情况下则可能是语义引导句法加工。

With respect to syntactic and semantic processing in sentence comprehension, traditional modular models assume that syntactic processes appear prior to semantic processes and dominate the process of sentence comprehension. However, this point of view has been recently challenged by a number of ERP studies, which demonstrate that semantic information plays an important role in both syntax and sentence integration processes, In light of these findings, researchers propose that the relation between semantics and syntax is not invariable： on one hand, syntactic processing might guide semantic processing, on the other hand, semantic processing might guide syntactic processing.