An ERP study of the processing of Mandarin classifiers

Comprehension of Mandarin classifier-noun sequences was examined by comparing event-related brain potential (ERP) responses to classifier-noun matches (一张纸; a sheet of paper ) and mismatches (一张咖啡; a sheet of coffee ). One goal was to determine which ERP components are sensitive to such matches, as a clue about the nature of the underlying combinatorial processes. Another goal was to examine effects of classifier constraint strength ( a piece of … vs a sheet of … ) on anticipation of the subsequent noun. Results showed that nouns evoked larger N400 in mismatching classifier-noun sequences, suggesting that combinatorial processing was primarily semantic. General classifiers evoked a larger sustained frontal negativity than specific classifiers, reflecting effects of constraint strength on anticipation of the upcoming noun. In addition, classifier presence was manipulated. The classifier-absent condition evoked a P600 in the first half of the experiment and an Anterior Negativity in the second half, suggesting that readers changed processing strategy over time.