Fixed in English, not (that) free in Slovak: A contrastive study of weight effects

Weight effects have been extensively studied in English but remain largely unexplored in Slavic languages, where research has primarily focused on information structure. This gap raises questions about cross-linguistic generalizations in constituent ordering on account of general cognitive constraints such as processing efficiency. We address this through a contrastive acceptability judgement experiment examining weight and phrase ordering preferences in English and Slovak. Using the method of Magnitude Estimation, which is concerned with proportional differences in acceptability, we collected ratings from 40 L1 speakers of each language on sentences varying in weight order (Light-Heavy vs. Heavy-Light) and phrase order (NP-PP vs. PP-NP). Gamma regression models revealed that both languages show sensitivity to constituent weight, but with crucial differences. English speakers demonstrated a strong preference for NP-PP ordering and heavy NP shift. Slovak speakers exhibited minimal sensitivity to differences and phrase order and weaker weight effects, suggesting a greater flexibility in constituent ordering in general. However, we also find that linguistic factors pale in comparison to the enormous between-subject differences, which account for the majority of the explained deviance in the data. Our findings are in line with cognitive predictions of weight effects on constituent ordering, while also revealing some striking differences between English and Slovak that warrant further cross-linguistic investigation beyond this specific language pair.