Voice morphology and the apo-phrase*

Active and non-active morphology in Greek does not always correspond with active and passive readings in a one-to-one fashion. In addition, the ‘apo-phrase’ is found in various syntactic contexts. This paper investigates how voice morphology, verb reading and animacy of the syntactic subject interact with the reading of ‘apo-phrases’ produced by Greek Native Speakers. Data, obtained through a Sentence Completion Task, show a general preference for the ‘cause’ reading of the ‘apo-phrase’ and an interaction of voice morphology, verb class and animacy of the syntactic subject on the status of the produced apo-phrase

A quasi-monolingual tertiary education in Greece: Baby steps to internationalisation

Although the state Greek education system has always been largely monolingual, this has been gradually changing mainly due to the large numbers of incoming populations from European and other countries. Changes in the monolingual profile of the country are also due to the decisions taken at a European level regarding the learning of at least two foreign languages starting at primary school. Given these changes and needs, the current paper focuses on the language profile of tertiary education in Greece and, in particular, of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), the largest university in Greece. The data collected will be used to extrapolate about the language profile of tertiary education in Greece. The paper will also present the results of a small-scale survey among the foreign language students of the School of Modern Greek at AUTh in order to examine the language context to which they are exposed but also their beliefs regarding the monolingual and multilingual approach to education. The results of our study clearly indicate a change in the monolingual profile of Greece’s tertiary education and stress the need for top-down changes that will take into consideration the realistic needs of Greek students and academics but also issues such as the internationalisation of higher education

Anaphora resolution and reanalysis during L2 sentence processing: evidence from the visual world paradigm

In a visual world paradigm study, we manipulated gender congruence between a subject pronoun and two antecedents to investigate whether L2 learners with a null subject first language (L1) acquire and process overt subject pronouns in a non-null subject L2 in a nativelike way. We also investigated whether L2 speakers revise an initial interpretation assigned to an ambiguous pronoun when information in the visual context subsequently biased against it. Our results indicated both L1 English speakers and Greek L2 English speakers rapidly used gender information to guide pronoun resolution. Both groups also preferentially coindexed ambiguous pronouns to a sentence subject and current discourse topic, despite the fact that overt subject pronouns in the learners’ L1 index a topic shift. We also observed that L2 English speakers were less likely to revise their initial interpretation than L1 English speakers. These results indicate that L2 speakers from a null subject background can acquire the interpretive preferences of overt pronouns in a non-null subject L2. The eye-movement data indicate that anaphora processing can become qualitatively similar in native and non-native speakers in the domain of subject pronoun resolution, but indicate reanalysis may cause difficulty during L2 processing

The effect of print exposure upon performance on the Raven Progressive Matrices Test

This study examines a potential relationship between reading and performance on a fluid intelligence test. Participants were 89 adults (M age= 39.0) of various educational backgrounds. Reading volume was assessed by the Greek versions of the Author and Magazine Recognition test (here ART-GR and MRT-GR respectively) initially developed by Stanovich and West (1989). Fluid intelligence was assessed by the Raven Progressive Matrices Test (Raven 1938), a non-verbal, graphical test. Participants with greater print exposure as measured both by the ART-GR and the MRT-GR reported greater fluid intelligence scores. The same was true for participants with more advanced than lower educational background

Microbiota and Cyanotoxin Content of Retail Spirulina Supplements and Spirulina Supplemented Foods

[EN]Cyanobacterial biomass such as spirulina (Arthrospira spp.) is widely available as a food supplement and can also be added to foods as a nutritionally beneficial ingredient. Spirulina is often produced in open ponds, which are vulnerable to contamination by various microorganisms, including some toxin-producing cyanobacteria. This study examined the microbial population of commercially available spirulina products including for the presence of cyanobacterial toxins. Five products (two supplements, three foods) were examined. The microbial populations were determined by culture methods, followed by identification of isolates using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), and by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of the products themselves and of the total growth on the enumeration plates. Toxin analysis was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Several potentially pathogenic bacteria were detected in the products, including Bacillus cereus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Microcystin toxins were detected in all the products at levels that could lead to consumers exceeding their recommended daily limits. Substantial differences were observed in the identifications obtained using amplicon sequencing and MALDI-TOF, particularly between closely related Bacillus spp. The study showed that there are microbiological safety issues associated with commercial spirulina products that should be addressed, and these are most likely associated with the normal means of production in open ponds.S

Processing of Transitivity Alternations and Frequency-Based Accounts in Greek Adult Language

The processing and resolution of syntactically ambiguous structures is accounted for by serial autonomous and multiple constraint satisfaction models differently. We investigated the extent to which frequency affects native speakers’ processing and interpretation of ‘voice (non)-alternating’ anticausative Greek verbs which differ in the availability or lack of voice alternation on the verb when it appears in intransitive structures. The accessibility of interpretations was measured with an online self-paced reading (SPR) task and an offline acceptability judgment (AJ) task addressed to 45 monolingual Greek-speaking adults. In order to investigate whether processing load is affected by statistical records in the parser, we compared empirical data with the frequency of the available readings that these verbs receive in formal and informal registers (ILSP, Web-Based Corpus). The online processing study indicated that the parser is sensitive to morphological cues ((N)ACT voice marking), while semantic factors such as animacy are integrated in subsequent stages of processing. A frequency effect was found in accordance with ‘coarse-grained’ models of sentence processing, while more ‘fine-grained’ models could not be validated with respect to frequency alone. The majority of acceptability judgements attributed to the verbs investigated correlated with the most frequent interpretations of verb forms in intransitive structures in corpora

Η μορφολογία της φωνής και οι αλλαγές στην μεταβατικότητα στα ελληνικά: έλεγχος σε σώματα κειμένων και ψυχογλωσσολογικά πειράματα

The aim of this thesis is to address two questions related to the role of frequency on a) sentence processing and b) language acquisition. Frequency is measured with respect to the phenomenon of transitivity alternations in Greek, which may or may not involve morphological changes of Voice marking on the verb. Regarding sentence processing, the question is whether the processing strategies involved in the disambiguation of temporarily ambiguous information are driven by the frequency of each of the available choices in the input. Regarding language acquisition the question is whether the developmental pattern of linguistic phenomena whose interpretation is underspecified by the grammar can be exclusively attributed to input frequency. The first question was addressed through the investigation of ‘voice alternating’ and ‘voice non-alternating’ anti-causative verbs. The two classes differ in the availability and lack thereof of Voice alternation on the verb when this appears in an intransitive structure (anti-causative, passive, reflexive). The accessibility of interpretations was measured with an on-line self-paced reading as well as an acceptability judgment tasks addressed to monolingual adult speakers of Greek. The possible correlation between the frequency of the available readings that specific verbs receive in formal and informal written corpora (ILSP-Web) with the on-line data were compared in order to investigate whether processing load is affected by statistical records in the parser. As an alternative, grammar-based, explanation of the psycholinguistic data obtained from the on-line task, the variables of distinctions between active and non-active voice and [+/-animacy] of the sentence subject, as well as their potential interaction were examined. The results from the on-line processing study indicated that the parser is sensitive to morphological cues such as Voice marking (ACT/NACT) on the verb, while semantic factors such as animacy are integrated in subsequent stages of processing. In accordance with ‘coarse-grained’ models of sentence processing, a frequency effect was found, while predictions in line with more ‘fine-grained’ models of sentence processing could not be validated with respect to frequency alone. On the other hand, results from the acceptability judgment task showed that the final interpretation attributed to the verbs investigated often correlated with the most frequently used structures in the corpora. The second question was addressed through the investigation of ‘voice (non)-alternating anti-causatives’, ‘reflexives’ and ‘activity predicates’. The frequency of the available readings that these verbs receive in formal and informal written corpora (ILSP-Web) were compared with the preferred readings of three age-groups of Greek L1 children and an adult control group in order to investigate whether development of transitivity alternations is determined by frequency of exposure alone, or alternatively, voice morphology in combination with subject animacy are relevant. The results indicated that while the adult control group provided answers consistent with the most frequent readings in the corpora, child groups approximated adult responses and frequency data in very few occasions. All child groups were sensitive to voice morphological marking, even if not completely mastered, and to the property of [+/-animacy] of the syntactic subject. Overall, child groups’ performance provided evidence in support of the claim that children have abstract knowledge of syntactic structures and transitivity alternations from an early age, while lack of sufficient exposure to specific verb uses in pragmatically biasing contexts leads to non-adult-like overall performance.Η διατριβή στοχεύει στην αξιολόγηση εμπειριοκρατικών μοντέλων γλωσσικής επεξεργασίας και μοντέλων γλωσσικής απόκτησης με βάση τη συχνότητα εμφάνισης συγκεκριμένων δομών στον απευθυνόμενο στα παιδιά λόγο. Το φαινόμενο που ερευνάται για την αξιολόγηση των παραπάνω θεωριών είναι οι ‘αλλαγές στην μεταβατικότητα του ρήματος’: Το ρήμα στην Ελληνική μπορεί να έχει Ενεργητική ή Μη Ενεργητική Μορφολογία. Η Ενεργητική Μορφολογία απαντάται σε μεταβατικές και αντιμεταβιβαστικές δομές ή δηλώνουν αμετάβατη δομή, ενώ η Μη Ενεργητική Μορφολογία σε αμετάβατες με αντιμεταβιβαστική ή παθητική ερμηνεία ή δηλώνουν αυτοπάθεια ή αλληλοπάθεια (εκτός της περίπτωσης των αποθετικών ρημάτων που δεν συμπεριλαμβάνονται στην έρευνα). Η αξιολόγηση εμπειριοκρατικών μοντέλων γλωσσικής επεξεργασίας έγινε με την διερεύνηση ‘Εργαστικών’ Ρημάτων με ή χωρίς Διτυπία: Η διαφορά μεταξύ τους έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι τα Εργαστικά με Διτυπία επιτρέπουν την αντιμεταβιβαστική ερμηνεία με Ενεργητική και Μη Ενεργητική Μορφολογία. Μάλιστα στη δεύτερη περίπτωση άλλες ερμηνείες (παθητική, αυτοπαθής) είναι επίσης γραμματικές. Ένα χρονομετρικό πείραμα ανάγνωσης και αποδεκτότητας των προτάσεων απευθύνθηκε σε μονόγλωσσους ενήλικες ομιλητές της Ελληνικής. Τα αποτελέσματα συγκρίθηκαν με τις πιο συχνές ερμηνείες των ίδιων ρημάτων σε Σώματα Κειμένων τυπικού (ΙΕΛ) και άτυπου (Διαδίκτυο) γραπτού λόγου. Τα εμπειρικά δεδομένα δείχνουν ότι ενώ ο βαθμός αποδεκτότητας των προτάσεων ήταν συχνά ανάλογος των συχνότερων ερμηνειών στα Σώματα Κειμένων, ο Γλωσσικός Επεξεργαστής είναι ευαίσθητος σε μορφολογικές ενδείξεις ((Μη) Ενεργητική Μορφολογία) από το στάδιο ανάγνωσης του ρήματος και σε μετέπειτα στάδια στο σημασιολογικό παράγοντα της φύσης (+/-έμψυχο) του συντακτικού υποκειμένου. Η αξιολόγηση θεωριών που προτείνουν ότι η κατάκτηση γλώσσας βασίζεται στην συχνότητα εμφάνισης συγκεκριμένων δομών στον απευθυνόμενο στα παιδιά λόγο έγινε με την πραγματοποίηση ενός μη χρονομετρικού πειράματος αντιστοίχησης εικόνας πρότασης σε 3 ηλικιακές ομάδες παιδιών και μια ομάδα ελέγχου με ενήλικες μονόγλωσσους ομιλητές της Ελληνικής. Τα δεδομένα της ψυχογλωσσολογικής αυτής έρευνας συγκρίθηκαν με τα αποτελέσματα από τα δύο Σώματα Κειμένων. Τα εμπειρικά δεδομένα δείχνουν ότι ενώ οι συχνότερες ερμηνευτικές απαντήσεις των ενηλίκων συμπίπτουν σε αρκετές περιπτώσεις με τις πιο συχνές χρήσεις συγκεκριμένων ρημάτων στα Σώματα Κειμένων, οι απαντήσεις των παιδιών είναι διαφορετικές, εκτός από κάποιες εξαιρέσεις στις απαντήσεις της μεγαλύτερης ηλικιακά ομάδας (Ομάδα 3). Οι απαντήσεις από όλες τις ηλικιακές ομάδες των παιδιών δείχνουν ότι η κατάκτηση της γλώσσας βασίζεται στην Γραμματική (δομή και μορφή), καθώς διαφοροποιούνται ανάλογα με τη Ρηματική Μορφολογία αλλά και το σημασιολογικό παράγοντα [+/- έμψυχου] συντακτικού υποκειμένου. Ωστόσο λόγω της χρονικά περιορισμένης έκθεσης των παιδιών σε γλωσσικά δεδομένα η σύγκλιση των ερμηνειών που αποδίδουν στις δομές που εξετάστηκαν με τις ερμηνείες των ενηλίκων επιτυγχάνεται αργότερα, δηλαδή στις πρώτες τάξεις του Δημοτικού (π.χ. Ρηματικές Κατηγορίες όπως τα ‘αυτοπαθή ρήματα’)

Transitivity and Valency: from theory to acquisition

International audienc

Preserved Executive Control in Ageing: The Role of Literacy Experience.

Peer reviewed: TrueFunder: European Union (European Social Fund–ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning” of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)Healthy ageing is commonly accompanied by cognitive decline affecting several domains such as executive control, whereas certain verbal skills remain relatively preserved. Interestingly, recent scientific research has shown that some intellectual activities may be linked to beneficial effects, delaying or even alleviating cognitive decline in the elderly. Thirty young (age: M = 23) and thirty old (age: M = 66) adults were assessed in executive control (switching) and literacy experience (print exposure). First, we tried to confirm whether healthy ageing was generally associated with deficits in switching by looking at mixing cost effects, to then investigate if individual differences in print exposure explained variation in that age-related mixing costs. Both accuracy and reaction times mixing cost indexes demonstrated larger cost in old (but not in young) adults when switching from local to global information. More importantly, this cost effect was not present in old adults with higher print exposure (reaction times). Our findings suggest literacy experience accumulated across the life-span may act as a cognitive reserve proxy to prevent executive control decline