This study expands on previous research into filler-gap dependency processing in second language (L2) English, by means of a replication of Canales’s (2012) self-paced reading study. Canales, among others, found that advanced L2-English speakers exhibited the same processing behavior that Stowe (1986) found for native English processing: On encountering a filler, they posited gaps in licensed positions and avoided positing gaps in grammatically unlicensed island positions. However, the previous L2 studies focused on advanced-level L2 proficiency and did not test specifically for first language (L1) influence. The present study compares two groups of intermediate-level L2-English speakers with contrasting non-wh-movement L1s, Jordanian Arabic and Mandarin, to investigate the effects of L1 influence and individual differences in proficiency. Our results provide evidence that at intermediate level, too, L2 filler-gap processing adheres to grammatical constraints. L1 did not affect this behavior, but proficiency effects emerged, with larger licensed filled-gap effects at higher proficiency.

本研究通过复制 Canales（2012）的自定进度阅读研究，扩展了先前对第二语言（L2）英语中填充间隙依赖处理的研究。 Canales 等人发现，高级 L2 英语使用者表现出与 Stowe（1986）在母语英语处理中发现的相同的处理行为：在遇到填充词时，他们在许可位置中设置间隙，并避免在语法上未许可的岛屿位置中设置间隙。然而，之前的二语研究主要关注高级二语熟练程度，并没有专门测试第一语言（L1）的影响力。本研究将两组中级 L2 英语使用者与非 wh 运动的 L1 使用者（约旦阿拉伯语和普通话）进行比较，以调查 L1 影响的影响和熟练程度的个体差异。我们的结果提供了证据，表明在中间水平上，L2 填充间隙处理也遵守语法限制。 L1 并不影响这种行为，但出现了熟练度效应，熟练度越高，许可的填补空白效应就越大。