(Non-)Intentional Readings of Labile Object Experiencer Psych-Verbs in Polish: Insights from a Self-Paced Reading Study

Abstract

Labile Object Experiencer psych-verbs are well-known to be compatible with intentional and non-intentional readings. When used in intentional contexts, labile OE psych-verbs exhibit properties of canonical agentive verbs. Previous studies on the agentive nature of labile OE psych-verbs indicate that it varies cross-linguistically. This article aims at investigating the properties of Polish labile OE psych-verbs in terms of their usage in non-intentional and intentional contexts, and in contrast to canonical agentive verbs. The results of the self-paced reading experiment showed that (i) processing of Polish labile OE psych-verbs in non-intentional and intentional contexts, as well as (ii) processing of labile OE psych-verbs as compared to canonical agentive verbs result in significantly faster reading times. The differences were, however, observed in different clause regions and therefore are argued to result from two distinct underlying causes.