Linguistic Compression and Cognitive Load: A Quantitative Study of the Menzerath–Altmann Law in Interpreted, L2 and Native English Speech
Abstract
This study examines the applicability of the Menzerath–Altmann Law (MAL) across three varieties of English speech: interpreted speech (IE), second language (L2) speech and native English (NE) speech. By analysing the relationship between sentence length and clause length, the research evaluates the fitting parameters a and b of the MAL formula to investigate syntactic patterns. The results confirm MAL’s validity for all varieties, supporting the principle that longer linguistic structures consist of shorter components. The study also identifies distinct and shared features of each speech type. Parameter a indicates that L2 speech aligns more closely with IE than NE, likely due to shared cognitive constraints, while IE and NE exhibit minimal differences, reflecting interpreters’ high proficiency. Parameter b shows that IE has the steepest reduction in sentence length with increasing complexity, reflecting interpreters’ automated processing strategies under high cognitive load. In contrast, L2 speakers manage complex structures more deliberately, indicating a more gradual adaptation to complexity and distinct cognitive approaches. These findings offer insights into the application of linguistic laws and the influence of interpreting on language production, contributing to the understanding of constrained versus unconstrained language use. This study opens avenues for further quantitative investigations into linguistic variation.
Link to publication in Taylor & Francis
