Abstract syntax in sentence production: Evidence from stem-exchange errors

Three experiments tested theories of syntactic representation by assessing stem-exchange errors (“hates the record” → “records the hate”). Previous research has shown that in stem exchanges, speakers pronounce intended nouns (“REcord”) as verbs (“reCORD”), yielding syntactically well-formed utterances. By lexically based theories, resulting utterances are well-formed because speakers originally selected verbal forms (“reCORD”). By frame-based theories, resulting utterances are well-formed because independent syntactic frames compel conversion of intended nouns into verbs. Lexically based theories predict stem-exchange errors should occur independently of syntactic context. Experiment 1 showed that speakers pronounced nouns as verbs only in utterances that required verbs; when utterances allowed nouns or verbs (“record and hate”), speakers pronounced nouns as nouns. Experiment 2 showed this was not an artifact of requiring specific utterance types. Experiment 3 ruled out a phonological influence over syntactic production. Consistent with frame-based theories, this evidence suggests that syntactic frames are abstract and independent.