Processing coherence: An experimental study on the Italian connective pertanto

Connectives limit the potential ambiguity of discourse by offering interpretive guides that optimize processing. In this study, we propose an eye-tracking study of the Italian argumentative connective pertanto (Eng. ‘therefore’) to verify if the semantic and pragmatic features of this unit influence the way in which native speakers process the structures on which it operates. Pertanto is one of the most frequent connectives with causal, conclusive meaning in Italian. It marks causal relationships and usually appears in formal registers. As is the case with connectives in general, pertanto is neither sufficient nor indispensable to express causality. For a causal reading to be possible, two or more segments joined together must be semantically co-oriented, that is, the first member must lead to the meaning expressed in the second through its argumentative orientation. Otherwise, the presence of this connective will result in a highly implausible utterance and could be evidenced by an increase in processing costs. After performing a reading eye tracking experiment with Italian native speakers, data analysis confirmed that highly implausible relationships required higher processing costs. This finding replicates the results obtained in other languages that reinforced the idea defended by relevantist studies on the rigidity of the procedural meaning of connectives.