Elaine J Francis
Biographic Data
| ID | 809334 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Elaine J Francis |
| GIVEN NAMES | Elaine J |
| FAMILY NAME | Francis |
| SIGNATURE | FRANCIS E J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Purdue University West Lafayette |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1964-3148 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 23 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Truth-Value Judgment Tasks in Second Language Research
This paper provides a focused review of truth-value judgment tasks (TVJTs) as a method for eliciting interpretations in adult second language learners. We present the historical perspectives, the rationale for their use, the nature of the knowledge they target, and critical design considerations. Additionally, we discuss their effectiveness in uncovering how second language learners access and compute meaning, as well as emerging directions for r…
On the usefulness of formal judgment tasks in syntax and in second-language research
Gibson and Fedorenko (2013, The need for quantitative methods in syntax and semantics research, Language and Cognitive Processes 28(2), 88–124) have argued against the continued use of informally collected acceptability judgments as the primary methodology in theoretical syntax and semantics research. We provide further support for their position with data from Mandarin and Turkish-language judgment tasks which examined the acceptability of resum…
Resumptive pronouns, structural complexity, and the elusive distinction between grammar and performance
Effects of Weight and Syntactic Priming on the Production of Cantonese Verb-Doubling
Grammatical weight and relative clause extraposition in English
In relative clause extraposition (RCE) in English, a noun is modified by a non-adjacent RC, resulting in a discontinuous dependency, as in: Three people arrived here yesterday who were from Chicago . Although discourse focus is known to influence the choice of RCE over truth-conditionally equivalent sentences with canonical structure (Rochemont and Culicover, English focus constructions and the theory of grammar, Cambridge University Press, 1990;…
A multi-modular approach to gradual change in grammaticalization
Examining four constructions in three languages (English quantificational nouns, Japanese subordinating conjunctions, Cantonese coverbs, Japanese deverbal postpositions), this paper shows that semantic properties can change faster than syntactic properties in gradual processes of grammaticalization. In each of these cases, the syntactic properties of one category become associated with the semantic properties of a different category when an item …
McCawley’s legacy
Categoriality and Object Extraction in Cantonese Serial Verb Constructions
A multi-dimensional approach to the category ‘verb’ in Cantonese
Cantonese exhibits a pattern of variation among verbs that has often been interpreted as distinguishing a category of adjectives or a subcategory of adjectival verbs. However, neither of these approaches takes into account the complex patterns of overlap among the purported categories or subcategories. To account for these patterns, we propose a multi-dimensional, feature-based analysis, whereby morphological, phonological, syntactic, and semanti…
Form and function in syntactic theory
Two perspectives on the grammar of possession
Some semantic reasons why iconicity between lexical categories and their discourse functions isn't perfect
Grammatical weight and relative clause extraposition in English
In relative clause extraposition (RCE) in English, a noun is modified by a non-adjacent RC, resulting in a discontinuous dependency, as in: Three people arrived here yesterday who were from Chicago . Although discourse focus is known to influence the choice of RCE over truth-conditionally equivalent sentences with canonical structure (Rochemont and Culicover, English focus constructions and the theory of grammar, Cambridge University Press, 1990;…
A multi-dimensional approach to the category ‘verb’ in Cantonese
Cantonese exhibits a pattern of variation among verbs that has often been interpreted as distinguishing a category of adjectives or a subcategory of adjectival verbs. However, neither of these approaches takes into account the complex patterns of overlap among the purported categories or subcategories. To account for these patterns, we propose a multi-dimensional, feature-based analysis, whereby morphological, phonological, syntactic, and semanti…
A multi-modular approach to gradual change in grammaticalization
Examining four constructions in three languages (English quantificational nouns, Japanese subordinating conjunctions, Cantonese coverbs, Japanese deverbal postpositions), this paper shows that semantic properties can change faster than syntactic properties in gradual processes of grammaticalization. In each of these cases, the syntactic properties of one category become associated with the semantic properties of a different category when an item …
Resumptive pronouns, structural complexity, and the elusive distinction between grammar and performance
Categoriality and Object Extraction in Cantonese Serial Verb Constructions
Truth-Value Judgment Tasks in Second Language Research
This paper provides a focused review of truth-value judgment tasks (TVJTs) as a method for eliciting interpretations in adult second language learners. We present the historical perspectives, the rationale for their use, the nature of the knowledge they target, and critical design considerations. Additionally, we discuss their effectiveness in uncovering how second language learners access and compute meaning, as well as emerging directions for r…
Some semantic reasons why iconicity between lexical categories and their discourse functions isn't perfect
Two perspectives on the grammar of possession
Form and function in syntactic theory
A multi-dimensional approach to the category ‘verb’ in Cantonese
Cantonese exhibits a pattern of variation among verbs that has often been interpreted as distinguishing a category of adjectives or a subcategory of adjectival verbs. However, neither of these approaches takes into account the complex patterns of overlap among the purported categories or subcategories. To account for these patterns, we propose a multi-dimensional, feature-based analysis, whereby morphological, phonological, syntactic, and semanti…
Categoriality and Object Extraction in Cantonese Serial Verb Constructions
McCawley’s legacy
A multi-modular approach to gradual change in grammaticalization
Examining four constructions in three languages (English quantificational nouns, Japanese subordinating conjunctions, Cantonese coverbs, Japanese deverbal postpositions), this paper shows that semantic properties can change faster than syntactic properties in gradual processes of grammaticalization. In each of these cases, the syntactic properties of one category become associated with the semantic properties of a different category when an item …
Grammatical weight and relative clause extraposition in English
In relative clause extraposition (RCE) in English, a noun is modified by a non-adjacent RC, resulting in a discontinuous dependency, as in: Three people arrived here yesterday who were from Chicago . Although discourse focus is known to influence the choice of RCE over truth-conditionally equivalent sentences with canonical structure (Rochemont and Culicover, English focus constructions and the theory of grammar, Cambridge University Press, 1990;…
Effects of Weight and Syntactic Priming on the Production of Cantonese Verb-Doubling
Resumptive pronouns, structural complexity, and the elusive distinction between grammar and performance
On the usefulness of formal judgment tasks in syntax and in second-language research
Gibson and Fedorenko (2013, The need for quantitative methods in syntax and semantics research, Language and Cognitive Processes 28(2), 88–124) have argued against the continued use of informally collected acceptability judgments as the primary methodology in theoretical syntax and semantics research. We provide further support for their position with data from Mandarin and Turkish-language judgment tasks which examined the acceptability of resum…
Truth-Value Judgment Tasks in Second Language Research
This paper provides a focused review of truth-value judgment tasks (TVJTs) as a method for eliciting interpretations in adult second language learners. We present the historical perspectives, the rationale for their use, the nature of the knowledge they target, and critical design considerations. Additionally, we discuss their effectiveness in uncovering how second language learners access and compute meaning, as well as emerging directions for r…
Linguistics (12 works) · Philosophy (11 works) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (10 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Natural language processing (7 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Natural Language Processing Techniques (5 works) · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism (5 works) · Artificial Intelligence (4 works) · Mathematics (4 works)