L1 and L2 processing of different word orders

We compared how Russian L1 speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers learning Russian as an L2 process Russian sentences with SVO and OVS word orders in isolation and in context. Reading times and question-answering accuracy showed that non-canonical orders were difficult for L2 participants, but not for L1 participants. However, L1 participants gave them lower ratings in isolation. Some context effects are universal for L1 and L2 processing: all participants read given NPs faster than new ones and preferred sentences with a ‘given-new’ word order. However, L2 readers are not sensitive to more subtle contextual requirements of different word orders.