The processing of unaccusative verbs by Korean learners: An analysis of differences based on English proficiency

This study analyzes the syntactic complexity that Korean English learners experience in processing unaccusative verbs, focusing on subject animacy and verb alternation as sources of difficulty. The study examines how mismatches in animacy and thematic roles, as well as distinctions between alternating and non-alternating unaccusative verbs, affect learners’ sentence processing. 71 undergraduate students from Daegu participated in a self-paced reading experiment. They were divided into two groups based on TOEIC scores (above and below 850). The results showed that sentences with animate subjects and alternating unaccusative verbs caused higher reading times and increased confusion. High-proficiency learners were more sensitive to syntactic complexity, while lower- proficiency learners showed less response to subject animacy differences. This study highlights specific cognitive challenges faced by Korean learners and proposes implications for improving grammatical instruction.