Processing Chinese and English Relative Clause

Using neurolinguistic analysis and innovative research methods, this book explores the fascinating differences between Chinese and English relative clauses, revealing insights into language processing across cultures. The book presents a processing model that explains the mechanisms of Chinese and English relative clauses. Drawing on behavioral studies and ERP experiments, it examines the many factors that influence relative clause processing in English and Chinese, including intelligence, language ability, cultural differences, and ERP components such as N400 and P600. It explores how different cultural and philosophical traditions shape relative clause structures. This book will be an essential reference for linguists, cognitive scientists, and language educators interested in cross-cultural language processing. It will also provide valuable insights for researchers studying second language acquisition and professionals developing language learning methodologies.

Wang Huili is currently a Qiantang Scholar at Hangzhou City University, China. She serves as a professor, doctoral supervisor, and postdoctoral co-supervisor at the School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou City University. She is also Chief Expert at the Hangzhou Collaborative Innovation Institute of Language Services. Her research interests include psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics.

1 Introduction 2. Overview of Chinese-English Relative Clause 3. Object-extracted Preference in the Processing of Chinese (L1) Relative Clause 4. Subject-extracted Preference in the Processing of English (L1) Relative Clause 5. Animacy Information and the Processing of Chinese Relative Clauses 6. Correlation Between Intelligence and Chinese Relative Clause Processing 7. N400 Effects of Prediction in Chinese Contexts of Relative Constructions 8. Processing Mechanism of English WH-questions by Chinese English Learners: An ERP Study 9. Conclusions and Future Prospects