Abstract: . . .  increase in working memory load. In the present work, it may be argued that sentences containing modals (HMV and CMV) require more working memory resources than sentences that do not (HNV and CNV) because of the extra “meaning” that these closed-class elements add to sentences. That is, sentences with modal auxiliaries carry the extra inference of possibility or necessity relative to sentences without them (Kratzer, 1981). We note here that semantic and structural complexity are closely intertwined issues. Thus, this semantic complexity could result in an extra processing load (cf. Gennari & Poeppel, 2003), and/or, the structural complexity that ensues at the level of discourse structure once modals are processed, could also tax working memory resources. In conclusion, the main contribution of the present study was to show that during pronoun resolution, a discourse structure representing modality was immediately consulted. Furthermore, left frontal positive-going waveforms indicated that the . . .
. . .  replace the full citation. This paper can be cited as: Dwivedi, Veena D., Natalie A. Phillips, Maude Laguë-Beauvais, and Shari R. Baum. 2005. The Interface of Syntax, Semantics and Psycholinguistics : An Investigation of Operator Scope. In Proceedings of the 24th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics , ed. John Alderete et al., 112-119. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. or: Dwivedi, Veena D., Natalie A. Phillips, Maude Laguë-Beauvais, and Shari R. Baum. 2005. The Interface of Syntax, Semantics and Psycholinguistics : An Investigation of Operator Scope. In Proceedings of the 24th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics , ed. John Alderete et al., 112-119. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. www.lingref.com, document #1213.  . . .
. . .  citation. This paper can be cited as: Dwivedi, Veena D., Natalie A. Phillips, Maude Laguë-Beauvais, and Shari R. Baum. 2005. The Interface of Syntax, Semantics and Psycholinguistics : An Investigation of Operator Scope. In Proceedings of the 24th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics , ed. John Alderete et al., 112-119. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. or: Dwivedi, Veena D., Natalie A. Phillips, Maude Laguë-Beauvais, and Shari R. Baum. 2005. The Interface of Syntax, Semantics and Psycholinguistics : An Investigation of Operator Scope. In Proceedings of the 24th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics , ed. John Alderete et al., 112-119. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. www.lingref.com, document #1213.  . . .
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