Gradience in subject–verb number agreement: Can bilinguals tune in?

Abstract This study investigates native German speakers’ and bilingual Turkish/German sensitivity to constraints on verbal agreement with pseudo-partitive subjects such as eine Packung Tabletten (“a pack of pills”). Although number the first noun phrase (headed by a container noun) is considered be norm, second (containee) also possible. We combined scalar acceptability ratings stochastic constraint-based grammatical framework model relative strength that determine preferences subsequently tested whether these models could correctly predict verb choices in production task. For both participant groups, match between was strongest determinant choices. The ranking we identified same for lack age-of-acquisition effects suggests variable subject–verb agreement, their strength, are acquirable early later learners German. Group differences were seen absolute constraint weightings, however, bilinguals’ being more strongly influenced containee phrase, indicating comparatively greater reliance surface-level cues (such proximity) among group.