The processing of multiword expressions in L1 and L2 Chinese: Evidence from reaction times and eye movements

Abstract Frequency and proficiency have been found to play an important role in second language (L2) phrasal processing. However, existing research has largely focused on English and other European languages, with other commonly used languages, such as Chinese, being largely disregarded. To fill this gap, we carried out two experiments to investigate how frequency—operationalized as a dichotomy (collocation vs. control) and a continuum (log‐transformed corpus frequency)—and language proficiency affect phrasal processing in first language (L1) and L2 speakers of Chinese. The results of a grammaticality judgment task (Experiment 1) and an eye‐tracking experiment (Experiment 2) largely converged to show that not only L1 speakers but also L2 learners are sensitive to phrase frequency manipulations, with collocations and higher frequency phrases being processed faster than controls and lower frequency phrases, respectively. Additionally, the analysis of eye movements—but not reaction times—showed a relationship between proficiency and phrase frequency. Finally, the use of the eye‐tracking methodology allowed us to tap into the mechanisms associated with earlier and later stages of phrasal processing, and to analyze multiple interest areas.