How readers interpret pronouns in free indirect discourse
We are looking for 1 student who is a native speaker of English to assist with the recording of stimuli for a study on the interpretation of anaphoric expressions in narrative texts.
Free indirect discourse is a literary technique (used by Austen, Joyce, Kafka, a.o.) where a character’s internal voice is reported by the narrator in third person. Syntactically, it has features of indirect discourse (reported speech) without using subordination.
This study, which is a follow-up to a previous pilot, will look at how experienced readers interpret pronouns within sentences in this technique. Your task will be to help with the recruitment of participants among English Literature students in the School of English and assist with stimuli creation.
Task 1: To help identify and contact eligible participants
Task 2: Stimuli preparation. You will assist with the editing of existing stimuli and will record short audio stimuli consisting of sentences containing pronouns, reflexives or other anaphoric expressions.
Relevant field of linguistics:
- Syntax
- Psycholinguistics
Student profile:
- Linguistics student
Anticipated skills to be gained:
- Experience with recruiting participants for research studies
- Insight into research designs in experimental syntax
- Experience in psycholinguistic testing procedure
Start date: June 2025
End date: July 2025
Hours per week: 2-6
Number of possible students: 1
Students who have questions about this project should contact Dr Valentina Brunetto on [email protected]
If you would like to work on this project, please complete an RES application form and send it to me by 18 March 2025. If your application is successful, the supervisor will be in touch in due course.