Dr. Wafaa Sahib Mehdi
Department of English, College of Education for Women, University of Baghdad, Iraq
In the field of psycholinguistics, a garden path sentence is a grammatically correct sentence that initially leads a reader to interpret it as incorrect. Garden path sentences are often discussed to illustrate that when humans read, they process language one word at a time. As such, they are said to be “led down the garden path,” meaning they are deceived, tricked, or misled. As a reader encounters a garden path sentence, they construct a structure of meaning incrementally. At some point, it becomes apparent that the next word or phrase cannot fit into the structure that has been built so far, creating inconsistency with the path they have been following. Consequently, a reanalysis is required to resolve the issue, necessitating additional time to process such sentences. This paper investigates the recognition and production of garden path sentences among Iraqi EFL college students. A test assessing these two levels—recognition and production—was administered to students at the College of Arts, University of Baghdad, for the academic year 2024-2025. It is proposed that while such sentences are challenging to recognize, they are even more difficult to produce. Therefore, greater attention should be dedicated to these sentences during grammar lessons. This approach would assist learners in understanding and processing them more effectively when encountered, whether in production or recognition. Consequently, this study holds significant value for both teachers and learners of English as a foreign language.
Keywords: Psycholinguistics, Comprehension, Garden Path Sentences
The above abstract is a part of the article which was accepted at The 10th International Conference on Languages, Linguistics, Translation and Literature (WWW.TLLL.IR), 1-2 February 2025, Ahwaz.
