从依存距离最小化看英语花园路径句暂时性歧义的形成

The Formation of Temporary Ambiguity in English Garden Path Sentences from the Perspective of Dependency Distance Minimization

摘要: 本文基于依存语法的框架，从依存距离最小化的角度探索英语花园路径句暂时性歧义的形成原因。利用已有的实验材料，运用计量的研究方法，将依存距离作为测量指标测算了花园路径句中产生暂时性歧义的部分和完整句子的平均依存距离。研究发现，暂时性歧义部分的平均依存距离通常小于整个句子的平均依存距离，证明人们在加工句子的过程中，总是倾向选择依存距离较短的句法结构，直到发现解读无法进行下去时，再重新进行分析，从而走入花园路径。研究结果再一次验证了依存距离最小化是人类语言的普遍规律，这种认知机制能有效减轻工作记忆负担，是“省力原则”的重要体现。

Abstract: Based on the framework of dependency grammar, this paper explores the reasons for the formation of temporary ambiguity in English garden path sentences from the perspective of dependency distance minimization. Using the available experimental materials, the average dependency distances of the parts of garden path sentences that produce temporary ambiguity and complete sentences were measured using the econometric research method with dependency distance as a measure. The average dependency distance of the temporarily ambiguous part is usually smaller than the average dependency distance of the whole sentence, which proves that people always tend to choose the syntactic structure with shorter dependency distance in processing the sentence, until they find that the interpretation cannot proceed, and then re-analyze it, thus going into the garden path. The results confirm that minimizing the dependency distance minimization (DDM) is a universal rule of human language, and this cognitive mechanism can effectively reduce the burden of working memory, which is an important manifestation of “the principle of least effort”.