Bridging the gap between processing preferences and typological distributions: Initial evidence from the online comprehension of control constructions in Hindi

Previous empirical results have revealed an interesting correspondence between online language comprehension strategies and typological distributions, namely a preference for accusative {S,A} alignment over ergative {S,O} alignment. In the processing domain, this preference is reflected in the preferred analysis of an initial ambiguous argument. In the typological domain, it can be seen in the higher tendency for language change to proceed from an {S,O} to an {S,A} alignment rather than vice versa. A correlation between these two observations would clearly be of interest for theoretical models of alignment patterns. However, before the assumption of such a correspondence is warranted, two problems need to be solved: (a) the time sensitivity of online processing data vs. the time insensitivity of typological distributions; and (b) the domain of application of the {S,A} preference in processing (identification of roles) and typology (roles being treated in the same way by some syntactic phenomenon). The present study, in which we examined the {S,A} preference in the processing of control constructions in Hindi, provides initial evidence that both of these problems can be overcome. On the basis of these empirical findings, we formulate a hypothesis about the correspondence between processing and typology and outline how it can be tested in future research. The research reported here was supported by grants BO 2471/3-1 and BI 799/3-1 from the German Research Foundation as part of the research group ‘Grammar and processing of verbal arguments’ (FOR 742). The present study on Hindi was conducted in collaboration with the Clinic for Audiology and Phoniatry (Prof. Manfred Gross) of the Charité Berlin. We are grateful to Katja Bruening for invaluable assistance in data acquisition. We would also like to thank Matthias Schlesewsky and Luming Wang for helpful discussions related to this line of research. Scales, 397-436 Marc Richards & Andrej L. Malchukov (eds.) LINGUISTISCHE ARBEITS BERICHTE 86, Universität Leipzig 2008 398 Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, Choudhary, Witzlack-Makarevich, Bickel