This thesis aims to elucidate which approach is the most advantageous in the analysis of acceptability judgments of native speakers: whether it is a categorical or a gradient approach....Show moreThis thesis aims to elucidate which approach is the most advantageous in the analysis of acceptability judgments of native speakers: whether it is a categorical or a gradient approach. Acceptability judgments have often been recognized as a relevant source of language knowledge (Chomsky, 1965; Sorace & Keller, 2005; Schütze & Schütze, 2011). Judgment elicitation procedures consist of asking speakers directly about their opinion on linguistic elements, such as sounds, words and sentences. However, interrogating participants directly about their language knowledge is not as simple as it seems. Several confounding factors, such as the order of presentation of the stimuli, and the repetition of instructions (Sprouse, 2007; Schütze, 2016) can interfere with such judgments, casting doubt on the reliability of the data. This thesis discusses some theories and methods involved in judgment elicitation procedures, in order to be able to examine whether categorical or gradient procedures are more successful in tapping into speakers’ knowledge while circumventing potentially confounding factors. Additionally, two empirical studies are discussed in detail, as examples of categorical and gradient approaches in the analysis of speakers’ innate language knowledge; one on syntax (Sprouse, 2007) and one on phonology (Turton, 2017).Show less