Subject relative clause preference in Basque: ERP evidence

Abstract

Subject-object processing within relative clause (RC) attachments exhibits cross-linguistic asymmetries influenced by various factors, including filler-gap linear or structural distance, morphological case marking, and subject-first preferences (Lau & Tanaka, 2021). In the Basque language, filler-gap linear distance and morphological case marking have been posited as explanatory factors for the observed object relative clause (ORC) preference in prenominal RCs (Carreiras et al., 2010). However, recent studies by Yetano et al., (2019) have identified a behavioral preference for subject relative clause (SRC) constructions in Basque postnominal RCs. To ascertain the primary determinant impacting RC processing, we employed EEG signatures to scrutinize subject-object preferences in temporally ambiguous Basque postnominal RCs. Analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs) unveiled a SRC preference: ORCs elicited augmented negative (LAN: 200–400 ms) and positive (P600: 700–900 ms) components compared to SRCs. Our findings suggest that preferences in RC disambiguation are predominantly shaped by filler-gap linear distance and/or subject-first bias.