Parsing Strategies in L1 and L2 Sentence Processing:

To contribute to a better understanding of L2 sentence processing, the present study examines how second language (L2) learners parse temporary ambiguous sentences containing relative clauses. Results are reported from both off-line and on-line experiments with three groups of advanced learners of Greek, with Spanish, German or Russian as native language (L1), as well as results from corresponding experiments with a control group of adult native speakers of Greek. We found that despite their native-like mastery of the construction under investigation, the L2 learners showed different relative clause attachment preferences than the native speakers. Moreover, the L2 learners did not exhibit L1-based preferences in L2 Greek, as might be expected if they were directly influenced by attachment preferences from their native language. We suggest that L2 learners integrate information relevant for parsing differently from native speakers, with the L2 learners relying more on lexical cues than the native speakers and less on purely structurally-based parsing strategies. L1 and L2 Sentence Processing 3