Priming word order in sentence production

When producing a sentence, the speaker needs to place words in linear order. We hypothesized the existence of a linearization process which imposes order on a constituent structure. This structure is assumed to be specified with respect to hierarchical relations between constituents but not with respect to word order. We tested this hypothesis in a primed picture description experiment. Speakers of Dutch repeated prime sentences and described target pictures. Word order of prime sentences was manipulated (e.g. 'On the table is a ball' vs. 'A ball is on the table'). Both alternatives could be used in the description of unrelated target pictures. In support of our hypothesis, word order was 'persistent': Speakers were more likely to use a given word order, when the prime sentence had that same word order. We argue that our results support the notion of a linearization process and reject the alternative explanation that the results should be attributed to persistent selection of a fully specified syntactic frame