Language-modulated Event Segmentation Examined through Interruption Detection and Boundary Tapping

Languages differ in how they encode object–state changes, which in turn can influence how speakers segment dynamic events. English and Mandarin diverge at the lexical level in their use of determiners and verb-satellite constructions, and at the phrasal level in how they represent telicity. This study examined whether such lexical and phrasal differences modulate two types of event segmentation: internal segmentation (detecting interruptions within an unfolding event) and external segmentation (tapping the boundaries of a complete event). In Experiment 1 (N = 30 per group), English and Mandarin speakers described cutting and blending events in real time. Lexically, English speakers highlighted object initial states with determiners, whereas Mandarin speakers emphasized end states with verb-satellite constructions. Phrasally, English speakers more often used telic descriptions for cutting events and atelic descriptions for blending events. In Experiment 2 (N = 64 per group), participants detected interruptions inserted within an unfolding event. English speakers were more accurate at detecting interruptions in the early stages of blending events, while Mandarin speakers were more accurate later on, mirroring their respective lexical biases. In Experiment 3 (N = 20 per group), participants tapped to indicate when a single event started and ended. English speakers marked the end of bounded cutting events faster than Mandarin speakers, consistent with their greater use of telic framing at the phrasal level. Together, these findings suggest that linguistic framing systematically shapes event segmentation at multiple levels, and that different experimental paradigms selectively reveal distinct aspects of events in real time.