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Considering experimental and observational evidence of priming together, syntax doesn't look so autonomous

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2017

Nicholas A. Lester ,
John W. Du Bois ,
Stefan Th. Gries  and
Fermín Moscoso del Prado Martín
Nicholas A. Lester
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106. nlester@umail.ucsb.edudubois@linguistics.ucsb.edustgries@linguistics.ucsb.edufmoscoso@linguistics.ucsb.eduhttp://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/dubois/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/stgries/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/people/fermin-moscoso-del-prado-martin
John W. Du Bois
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106. nlester@umail.ucsb.edudubois@linguistics.ucsb.edustgries@linguistics.ucsb.edufmoscoso@linguistics.ucsb.eduhttp://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/dubois/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/stgries/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/people/fermin-moscoso-del-prado-martin
Stefan Th. Gries
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106. nlester@umail.ucsb.edudubois@linguistics.ucsb.edustgries@linguistics.ucsb.edufmoscoso@linguistics.ucsb.eduhttp://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/dubois/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/stgries/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/people/fermin-moscoso-del-prado-martin
Fermín Moscoso del Prado Martín
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106. nlester@umail.ucsb.edudubois@linguistics.ucsb.edustgries@linguistics.ucsb.edufmoscoso@linguistics.ucsb.eduhttp://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/dubois/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/stgries/http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/people/fermin-moscoso-del-prado-martin
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Abstract

We agree with Branigan & Pickering (B&P) that structural priming experiments should supplant grammaticality judgments for testing linguistic representation. However, B&P overlook a vast (corpus-)linguistic literature that converges with – but extends – the experimental findings. B&P conclude that syntax is functionally independent of the lexicon. We argue that a broader approach to priming reveals cracks in the façade of syntactic autonomy.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e300
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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