关键词: 韵律限制, 中性语境, 偏向语境, 眼动

Abstract: The present study was designed to investigate whether a particular prosodic constraint in Chinese, the rhythmic pattern of the verb-noun combination, affects sentence reading and whether context has influence on this process. A self-paced, line-by-line, reading paradigm was used, in which participants read sentences by pressing a key each time they wanted a new one to appear. The result showed: the rhythmic pattern of the verb-noun combination affects the process of sentence reading. It was easier to process the[2+2]or the[1+2]pattern than the[2+1]pattern, and looked for less information to support itself. The context could lead reader to make sense of the verb-noun combination. In the neutral context,[2+2]and the[1+2]patterns had the same easier process than the[2+1]pattern, and looked for less information to support themselves. But in the biased context, the[2+2]pattern had the most easiest process and looked for the lest information to support itself of the three patterns.

Key words: prosodic constraint, the neutral context, the biased context, eye movement