Tolerance for Lexical Constraints in the Double Object Construction: Evidence from Brazilian Portuguese-English Bilinguals

Abstract

This study investigates Brazilian Portuguese-English bilinguals' tolerance for lexical constraints in the English double object construction (DOC). Previous research indicates that bilinguals tend to show greater acceptance of unconventional argument structures compared to native speakers, a pattern linked to broader constructional generalizations and reduced sensitivity to competition effects. Using an acceptability judgment task, we compared bilinguals' and native speakers' ratings of grammatical and ungrammatical DOC sentences. The findings confirmed that bilinguals exhibit higher tolerance for unlicensed DOC sentences, particularly those containing cognate verbs. Item-level and participant-level analyses revealed substantial individual variability among bilinguals, indicating that higher tolerance is not uniformly distributed.