THE ROLE OF EVENT STRUCTURE IN COMPREHENSION

How might event structure influence comprehension?

Two possibilities are:

1. Delimitation -- the fact that telic sentences require a delimiter may initiate search for something that delimits the event.

• This delimiter has the patient role.

• If the delimitation hypothesis is correct, telic sentences will assign patient role more readily than atelic sentences.

Telic: Mary melted the chocolate.

Atelic: Mary pushed the cart.

2. Text Integration -- telic sentences may provide a temporal anchor around

which comprehenders can organize the events of a story.

• Since telic sentences have a definite end, they establish a definite point in time.

John entered the oval office. The president walked over to him.

‘Over to him’ delimits the event (…in 10 seconds vs. … *for 10

seconds), marking the end of walking and a new point of temporal

reference.

• Since atelic sentences do not have a definite end, they do not establish a definite point in time.

John entered the oval office. The clock on the wall ticked loudly.

Since the second sentence describes a state without a temporal

boundary (…*in 10 seconds vs. …for 10 seconds), it is interpreted as

overlapping in time the event in the preceding sentence.

ROLE OF EVENT STRUCTURE IN DISCOURSE PROCESSING

Since telic events have an inherent endpoint, they may provide temporal anchors for integrating the meanings of sentences in story comprehension.

Since atelic events do not have an inherent endpoint, they may be retained in a more active form during story comprehension.

DeCangi (2004) examined comprehenders’ accessibility to events while reading stories depending on verb telicity and object specificity.

Saving the Children

The tornado struck the school with little warning.

It was destroyed.

The firemen didn’t think there would be many survivors.

Suddenly, one of the men heard voices in the wreckage.

(Probe: STRIKE SCHOOL)

The firemen rescued survivors / The firemen rescued a survivor

(Target Probe: RESCUE SURVIVORS)

Many of the bystanders helped.

Some people brought food.

They were all anxious for the children.

When the firemen got to the kids, they found them safe in the basement of the school.

(Probe: DISCOVER PEOPLE)

If atelic events are retained in a more accessible form, comprehenders will make fewer errors on probe recognition for target sentences with an atelic verb (sing) rather than a telic verb (rescue).

If object specificity influences the telicity of sentences with a telic verb, comprehenders will make fewer errors on probe recognition for sentences with a telic verb when the object is non-specific (rescued survivors vs. rescued a survivor).

Percentage of Errors Depending on Telicity and Noun Specificity

	Telic	Atelic
Singular	6	3
Bare Plural	3	2