Proficiency Level and the Interaction of Lexical and Morphosyntactic Information During L2 Sentence Processing

Using a self-paced reading task, the present study explores how second language (L2) German speakers at different proficiency levels use case-marking information when processing subject-object ambiguities in German. Results indicate that advanced L2 German speakers rapidly integrated case-marking information during online processing, exhibiting a subject preference similar to German native speakers. However, there was evidence that the relative processing difficulty of object-first sentences was influenced by early access to the thematic verb. In contrast, intermediate L2 speakers were not immediately sensitive to case-marking information regardless of thematic verb placement. These findings are discussed in light of current models of L2 sentence processing and research concerning L2 speakers' ability to process L2 morphosyntactic information.