Phase-based Minimalist Parsing and complexity in non-local dependencies

06/03/2019

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by   Cristiano Chesi, et al.

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A cognitively plausible parsing algorithm should perform like the human parser in critical contexts. Here I propose an adaptation of Earley's parsing algorithm, suitable for Phase-based Minimalist Grammars (PMG, Chesi 2012), that is able to predict complexity effects in performance. Focusing on self-paced reading experiments of object clefts sentences (Warren Gibson 2005) I will associate to parsing a complexity metric based on cued features to be retrieved at the verb segment (Feature Retrieval Encoding Cost, FREC). FREC is crucially based on the usage of memory predicted by the discussed parsing algorithm and it correctly fits with the reading time revealed.