The effect of marked topic on memory in Hebrew and English

Authors: Netz, Hadar; Kuzar, Ron

Source: Languages in Contrast, Volume 9, Number 2, 2009 , pp. 267-283(17)

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

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Abstract:

This study examines and compares the effect of marked sentence structure on cognition and memory in English and Hebrew. It has been shown elsewhere that marked topic constructions in English have a significant effect on memory. Now, since Hebrew, like English, is an SV(O) (Subject-Verb-Object) language, the cognitive effect of marking the topic in Hebrew could be expected to be similar to the effect witnessed in English. However, the study presents data which attest unequivocally to the prevalence of marked topic constructions in Hebrew in comparison to English. In addition, through psycholinguistic experimentation, it is shown that in Hebrew deviations from the SV(O) structure are not as prominently marked as they are in English.

Keywords: MARKED TOPIC; MEMORY; TOPICALIZATION; ENGLISH/HEBREW

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/lic.9.2.04net

Publication date: 2009-10-01

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