Lecture Notes: Garden Path Sentences

Introduction to Garden Path Sentences

• Definition: Sentences that are grammatically correct but misleading.
• Effect: Cause confusion because the reader’s initial interpretation is often incorrect.
• Purpose: Illustrate how language can be structured in surprising ways.

Examples of Garden Path Sentences

1. "The old man the boat."

   • Initial Interpretation: "The elderly male the boat."
   • Correct Parsing: "The old (people) man the boat."
   • Explanation: "Old" is the subject, "man" is the verb.

2. "The complex houses married and single soldiers and their families."

   • Initial Interpretation: "The complicated homes."
   • Correct Parsing: "The complex (apartment complex) houses (accommodates) married and single soldiers."
   • Explanation: "Complex" is the noun, "houses" is the verb.

3. "The horse raced past the barn fell."

   • Improved Sentence: "The horse which was raced past the barn fell."
   • Explanation: The sentence means "The horse (that was) raced past the barn fell."

4. "The florist sent the flowers was pleased."

   • Correct Parsing: "The florist who was sent the flowers was pleased."
   • Explanation: "Sent the flowers" specifies which florist.

5. "The cotton clothing is made of grows in Mississippi."

   • Correct Parsing: "The cotton (that) clothing is made of grows in Mississippi."
   • Explanation: Clarifying the cotton description.

6. "The man who hunts ducks out on weekends."

   • Correct Parsing: "The man who hunts (verb) ducks out on weekends."
   • Explanation: "Ducks" is the verb, meaning to avoid or skip.

Why Garden Path Sentences Are Confusing

• Parsing: The process where the brain divides sentences into chunks for easier understanding.
• Initial Chunks: Misleading initial chunks lead to incorrect interpretations.
• Inference: The brain infers meaning as it reads and can be led astray in garden path sentences.

Types of Parsing

1. Serial Parsing

   • Definition: Interpreting sentences in a linear order, one possibility at a time.
   • Consequence: Leads to confusion when the initial interpretation is incorrect.
   • Example: Assigns one meaning to "The old man" and discards others.

2. Parallel Parsing

   • Definition: Maintaining multiple interpretations simultaneously.
   • Advantage: Reduces confusion by keeping options open until more context is available.
   • Example: Interprets "The old man" as both a subject and a verb, adjusting as the sentence continues.

Enhancing Parsing Skills

• Reading Complex Literature: Exposure to complex or older literature may enhance the ability to parallel parse.
• Familiarity with Language Structures: Understanding different sentence structures and vocabulary can aid in parsing.

Conclusion

• Garden Path Sentences: Interesting linguistic phenomenon that challenges comprehension.
• Engagement: Encouraged to create and explore more garden path sentences for practice.

• Final Thought: Practice and exposure to complex sentence structures can aid in understanding and reducing confusion when encountering garden path sentences.