Stephanie Rotter

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Department of English and American Studies

Stephanie Rotter studied Cognitive Science in her Bachelor at Osnabrück University. For her master in the study program “International Experimental and Clinical Linguistics” at the University of Potsdam, she focused on psycholinguistics as well as multi- and bilingualism. She is a PhD candidate in the CRC1412 project A07.

Projects

MGK Integrated Graduate School
A07 Register effects in discourse expectations: Negation and modality in English

Contact

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Dorotheenstraße 28, 10117 Berlin

rotterst@hu-berlin.deWebsite

Postal address

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin

Publications & Presentations

    Publications

  • Liu, Mingya; Rotter, Stephanie  (2025) Linguistic and Social Meaning Match: An experiment on modal concord in English   In: Experiments in Linguistic Meaning [DOI] [ViVo]
    Modal concord (MC) refers to the phenomenon where two modal elements of the same flavor and force in a sentence yield an interpretation of single modality (SM). In this paper, we report on an experimental study on MC in English, addressing their linguistic and social meaning. Our results show a strengthening effect by necessity MC and a weakening effect of possibility MC in that significantly higher speaker commitment ratings were received for necessity MC vs. SM constructions (i.e., must certainly vs. must) with the reverse pattern for possibility modal constructions (i.e., may possibly vs. may). Furthermore, MC and SM were shown to differ in social meanings, suggesting a correlation between the meaning strength of a linguistic expression and the social perception of the speaker.
  • Rotter, Stephanie; Liu, Mingya  (2025) Less formal and more rebellious — An experiment on the social meaning of negative concord in American English  In: Negative Concord: A Hundred Years On [DOI] [ViVo]
    Negative concord, which is present in some varieties of English, is considered ungrammatical in ‘standard’ contemporary English, where negative polarity items are used. While negative polarity item constructions have the semantics of single negation, negative concord constructions are considered ambiguous between a single vs. double negation reading. Recent research shows that the perception of negative concord varies depending on the situational context of its use, the properties of the comprehender as well as the methods of data elicitation (ratings vs. self-reports). We conducted a rating study in US English examining the interpretation and grammaticality of negative concord compared to negative polarity items, and the perception of negative concord speakers regarding their social background and persona. The results show that comprehenders – mostly self-re-ported non-dialect speakers of US English – interpreted negative concord similarly to negative polarity items, but judged negative concord as ungrammatical. Moreover, they associated negative concord use with lower levels in socioeconomic status and education than negative polarity items; in terms of persona, negative concord use was perceived as less formal and as more rebellious than negative polarity items. Additionally, our study shows experimental evidence for inter-individual (e.g., age- or gender-related) variation in the comprehension and perception of negative concord.
  • Rotter, Stephanie; Liu, Mingya  (2024) A register approach to negative concord versus negative polarity items in English  In: Linguistics [DOI] [ViVo]
    Negative concord (NC) is used in many English varieties but usually considered ungrammatical in ‘standard’ contemporary English, where negative polarity items (NPIs) are used. In this paper, we take a novel experimental approach to the use of NC versus NPI constructions, in relation to register, sets of speech repertoires linked to specific situational and functional parameters. We report on two rating experiments with American and British English participants using interlocutor relations as a formality manipulation. Results show that (i) across both samples, NC constructions were rated as less appropriate than NPI associates, and (ii) there was a register effect in the American English data in that NC was rated less appropriate in formal than informal contexts. Our study is the first to provide experimental evidence for the register-sensitivity of NC constructions in American English.
  • Pescuma, Valentina Nicole; Serova, Dina; Lukassek, Julia; Sauermann, Antje; Schäfer, Roland; Adli, Aria; Bildhauer, Felix; Egg, Markus; Hülk, Kristina; Ito, Aine; Jannedy, Stefanie; Kordoni, Valia; Kühnast, Milena; Kutscher, Silvia; Lange, Robert; Lehmann, Nico; Liu, Mingya; Lütke, Beate; Maquate, Katja; Mooshammer, Christine; Mortezapour, Vahid; Müller, Stefan; Norde, Muriel; Pankratz, Elizabeth; Patarroyo, Angela Giovanna; Plesca, Ana-Maria; Ronderos, Camilo R.; Rotter, Stephanie; Sauerland, Uli; Schulte, Britta; Schüppenhauer, Gediminas; Sell, Bianca Maria; Solt, Stephanie; Terada, Megumi; Tsiapou, Dimitra; Verhoeven, Elisabeth; Weirich, Melanie; Wiese, Heike; Zaruba, Kathy; Zeige, Lars Erik; Lüdeling, Anke; Knoeferle, Pia; Schnelle, Gohar  (2023) Situating language register across the ages, languages, modalities, and cultural aspects: Evidence from complementary methods  In: Frontiers in Psychology [DOI] [PDF] [ViVo]
    In the present review paper by members of the collaborative research center ‘Register: Language Users’ Knowledge of SituationalFunctional Variation’ (CRC 1412), we assess the pervasiveness of register phenomena across different time periods, languages, modalities, and cultures. We define ‘register’ as recurring variation in language use depending on the function of language and on the social situation. Informed by rich data, we aim to better understand and model the knowledge involved in situation- and function-based use of language register. In order to achieve this goal, we are using complementary methods and measures. In the review, we start by clarifying the concept of ‘register’, by reviewing the state of the art, and by setting out our methods and modeling goals. Against this background, we discuss three key challenges, two at the methodological level and one at the theoretical level: 1. To better uncover registers in text and spoken corpora, we propose changes to established analytical approaches. 2. To tease apart between-subject variability from the linguistic variability at issue (intra-individual situation based register variability), we use within-subject designs and the modeling of individuals’ social, language, and educational background. 3. We highlight a gap in cognitive modeling, viz. modeling the mental representations of register (processing), and present our first attempts at filling this gap. We argue that the targeted use of multiple complementary methods and measures supports investigating the pervasiveness of register phenomena and yields comprehensive insights into the cross-methodological robustness of register-related language variability. These comprehensive insights in turn provide a solid foundation for associated cognitive modeling.
  • Rotter, Stephanie; Liu, Mingya  (2023) Interlocutor relation predicts the formality of the conversation: An experiment in American and British English  In: REALIS: Register Aspects of Language in Situation [DOI] [ViVo]
    Formality is an important notion in register research. However, it is hard to give it a precise definition. Furthermore, it is challenging to identify the situational parameters required for levels of formality. Potential parameters include the social relation between interlocutors. We conducted two rating studies with American and British English speakers and tested the connection between formality and social relations, while exploring the influence of certain demographic factors on the rating. We hypothesised that public social relations are associated with more formal contexts than private social relations. The results strongly confirmed the hypothesis. We expect that our findings shed further light on the connection between formality and social relations and consequently, inform experimental set-ups investigating variation in language use. 
  • Liu, Mingya; Rotter, Stephanie  (2023) Modal concord in American and British English: A register-based experimental study  In: Proceedings of the 58th annual meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society (CLS58), University of Chicago [ViVo]
  • Liu, Mingya; Rotter, Stephanie; Giannakidou , Anastasia  (2021) Bias and Modality in Conditionals: Experimental Evidence and Theoretical Implications  In: Journal of Psycholinguistic Research [DOI] [ViVo]
    The concept of bias is familiar to linguists primarily from the literature on questions. Following the work of Giannakidou and Mari (Truth and Veridicality in Grammar and Thought: Modality, Mood, and Propositional Attitudes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2021), we assume “nonveridical equilibrium” (implying that p and ¬p as equal possibilities) to be the default for epistemic modals, questions and conditionals. The equilibrium of conditionals, as that of questions, can be manipulated to produce bias (i.e., reduced or higher speaker commitment). In this paper, we focus on three kinds of modal elements in German that create bias in conditionals and questions: the adverb wirklich ‘really’, the modal verb sollte ‘should’, and conditional connectives such as falls ‘if/in case’. We conducted two experiments collecting participants’ inference about speaker commitment in different manipulations, Experiment 1 on sollte/wirklich in ob-questions and wenn-conditionals, and Experiment 2 on sollte/wirklich in wenn/falls/V1-conditionals. Our findings are that both ob-questions and falls-conditionals express reduced speaker commitment about the modified (antecedent) proposition in comparison to wenn-conditionals, which did not differ from V1-conditionals. In addition, sollte/wirklich in the antecedent of conditionals both create negative bias about the antecedent proposition. Our studies are among the first that deal with bias in conditionals (in comparison to questions) and contribute to furthering our understanding of bias.

    • Presentations

  • Rotter, Stephanie; Liu, Mingya  (2024) Semantic and Social Meaning Match: experiments on modal concord in US English  In: ELM - Experiments in Linugistic Meaning [ViVo]
  • Rotter, Stephanie; Liu, Mingya  (2023) Social meaning of negative concord in American English  In: Workshop on “Language in Social Interaction” at the University of Wuppertal [ViVo]
  • Rotter, Stephanie; Liu, Mingya  (2022) Register sensitivity of negative concord in American and British English  In: SLE Workshop on "A hundred years of negative concord", University of Bucharest [ViVo]
  • Rotter, Stephanie; Liu, Mingya  (2022) Register sensitivity of negation, polarity and modality in American and British English   In: CRC Colloquium – HU Berlin [ViVo]
  • Liu, Mingya; Rotter, Stephanie  (2022) An experimental study of multiple modals and register effects in American and British English  In: CLS, University of Chicago [ViVo]
  • Liu, Mingya; Rotter, Stephanie  (2022) An experimental study of multiple modals and register effects in American and British English  In: Workshop on "Variation, contact, and modal constructions in English", University of Paris [ViVo]
  • Liu, Mingya; Rotter, Stephanie  (2021) Pragmatic Functions and Effects of Register Variation and Switch: a register approach to negation and polarity  In: CRC Retreat 2021 – HU Berlin [ViVo]