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Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching
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Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching

A special issue of Languages (ISSN 2226-471X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 August 2021) | Viewed by 19905

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bryan Koronkiewicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Modern Languages & Classics, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0246, USA
Interests: bilingualism; code-switching; spanish; syntax; methodology; heritage speaker bilingualism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As research on bilingualism continues to expand exponentially, studies on code-switching have been a fruitful line of investigation. In particular, data regarding the structural properties of code-switching have proven to be an insightful avenue for understanding a wide array of syntactic phenomena and issues. When looking at intra-sentential code-switching, which occurs when two languages are mixed within the same sentence, studies have consistently shown it to be rule-governed. There is a wide body of research concerning the structural constraints on linguistic code-switching since Poplack’s (1980) seminal work. Although these numerous publications have explored this intersection of code-switching and syntax, the decades’ worth of knowledge gained should be considered the tip of the iceberg, as many questions remain about the syntactic properties of code-switching. These questions are derived not only from the theoretical domain, but from across various linguistic subfields, including language contact, language acquisition (of any multilingual kind, including first, second, third, heritage, and so on), psycholinguistics or methodology, among others.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to collect work on the ways in which bilinguals mix their languages, aiming to broaden research on intra-sentential code-switching and its syntactic properties. We feel the following topics are worthwhile avenues for potential contributions to explore based on what has already been found in the literature. As such, we welcome papers that address one or more of the following topics with data from any language pair(s).

  1. Lesser studied syntactic structures, including any phenomena that have received limited attention in the field;
  2. New data targeting the syntax of code-switching, such as: language pairs without English; distinct dialects of previously studied language pairs; second-language code-switching; data from lesser studied bilingual groups;
  3. Bimodal code-switching and its syntax;
  4. Variation in the syntax of code-switching, such as: inter-speaker variability; intra-speaker variability; community comparisons;
  5. Methods for researching the syntax of code-switching; such as: best practices for lab-based experiments, naturalistic data, and/or corpora; defining and describing code-switchers (as individuals and/or as groups); modality; multi-method analyses.

We welcome papers with data from any language pair(s) from a range of approaches including formal, experimental, variationist and/or other paradigms addressing these and related topics.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editor ([email protected]) or to Languages editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

The tentative completion schedule is as follows:

  • Abstract submission deadline: 15 January 2021
  • Notification of abstract acceptance: 1 February 2021
  • Full manuscript deadline: 1 August 2021

Dr. Bryan Koronkiewicz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Languages is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • code-switching
  • syntax
  • bilingualism
  • methodology
  • heritage languages
  • bimodal bilingualism
  • variation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

35 pages, 1298 KiB  
Article
Adjective Placement in English/Spanish Mixed Determiner Phrases: Insights from Acceptability Judgments
by Irati De Nicolás and Luis López
Languages 2022, 7(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7010054 - 28 Feb 2022
Viewed by 3103
Abstract
The present study examines the relative order of noun-adjective sequences within code-switched Determiner Phrases. Several hypotheses have been considered: (i) Order is a property defined by the noun; (ii) it is a property defined by the adjective; (iii) it is a property governed [...] Read more.
The present study examines the relative order of noun-adjective sequences within code-switched Determiner Phrases. Several hypotheses have been considered: (i) Order is a property defined by the noun; (ii) it is a property defined by the adjective; (iii) it is a property governed by the carrier phrase. The studies that have investigated the issue all assume that the class of adjectives is homogeneous, but in fact, there exist several sub-classes of adjectives which in many languages, including Spanish, exhibit distinct ordering properties. We propose to add the variable ‘adjective type’ to our study and use code-switching of English/Spanish, two languages that differ in the position of adjectives, as our database. A total of thirty English/Spanish heritage speakers took part in an experiment. Our results show that both the language of the adjective and the carrier phrase are significant factors of word order in the noun phrase; on the other hand, the noun itself does not seem to play a role. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching)
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18 pages, 842 KiB  
Article
Preposition Stranding in Spanish–English Code-Switching
by Bryan Koronkiewicz
Languages 2022, 7(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7010045 - 22 Feb 2022
Viewed by 3304
Abstract
This study tests the acceptability of preposition stranding in the intrasentential code-switching of US heritage speakers of Spanish. Because languages vary when extracting determiner phrases from prepositional phrases, known as preposition stranding or p-stranding, a contrast arises for Spanish–English bilinguals. English allows [...] Read more.
This study tests the acceptability of preposition stranding in the intrasentential code-switching of US heritage speakers of Spanish. Because languages vary when extracting determiner phrases from prepositional phrases, known as preposition stranding or p-stranding, a contrast arises for Spanish–English bilinguals. English allows p-stranding, but in Spanish the preposition is traditionally pied-piped with the DP. Heritage speakers of Spanish, though, have shown variability, with child sequential bilinguals requiring said pied-piping, but simultaneous bilinguals allowing p-stranding in Spanish. Participants (n = 24) completed a written acceptability judgment task with a 7-point Likert scale. The task included code-switched sentences (n = 16) with p-stranding, switching from either English to Spanish or vice versa, with comparison monolingual equivalents for Spanish (n = 8) and English (n = 8) included as well. The results found that the simultaneous bilinguals accepted p-stranding in both languages, while also showing no restriction in either code-switching condition. Child sequential bilinguals, however, showed the expected monolingual distinction between Spanish and English, and p-stranding was only accepted with Spanish determiner phrases extracted from an English prepositional phrase (i.e., Spanish-to-English). These findings support the previously reported differentiation between simultaneous and child sequential bilinguals regarding p-stranding, while expanding it to code-switching. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching)
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13 pages, 893 KiB  
Article
Él Code-Switches More Than tú y yo: New Data for the Subject Pronoun-Verb Switch Constraint
by Kate Bellamy, Hans Stadthagen-Gonzalez and M. Carmen Parafita Couto
Languages 2022, 7(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7010022 - 28 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2880
Abstract
In early studies, code-switches between a subject pronoun and a finite verb were considered highly dispreferred or even impossible. However, naturalistic data from several language pairs has since highlighted that such switches are possible, although their grammaticality is constrained by the typology of [...] Read more.
In early studies, code-switches between a subject pronoun and a finite verb were considered highly dispreferred or even impossible. However, naturalistic data from several language pairs has since highlighted that such switches are possible, although their grammaticality is constrained by the typology of the pronouns involved. In this study, we test the switching constraints postulated for subject pronouns-verbs among P’urhepecha-Spanish bilinguals (n = 12) from Michoacán, western Mexico. Using a two-alternative forced-choice acceptability judgement task (2AFC), we found that, contrary to expectations, switches between a third person singular pronoun and a verb were considered the most acceptable, followed by the coordinated ‘you and I’ second person, then the first person singular. The same order was found for both switch directions, despite third-person pronouns in P’urhepecha having a stronger typological profile. Building on the results of previous studies, we suggest that the lack of preference for a single switch direction is evidence for language-specific code-switching patterns, as well as possible differences in productive vs. receptive language. Additionally, we highlight the probative value of judgement data, particularly those emerging from 2AFC tasks, as a means of expanding our understanding of grammaticality in code-switching. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching)
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19 pages, 873 KiB  
Article
What Can L2ers Tell Us about Codeswitching? Mood Selection in Spanish
by Nick Feroce, Ana de Prada Pérez and Lillian Kennedy
Languages 2021, 6(4), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6040200 - 3 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2766
Abstract
An increasing amount of research shows that bilinguals that engage in codeswitching (CS) may show different patterns of usage and sensitivity to particular linguistic structures depending on community norms. Additionally, proficiency may play a different role in sensitivity to code-switched utterances depending on [...] Read more.
An increasing amount of research shows that bilinguals that engage in codeswitching (CS) may show different patterns of usage and sensitivity to particular linguistic structures depending on community norms. Additionally, proficiency may play a different role in sensitivity to code-switched utterances depending on speaker background, as well as the structure investigated. In this study, we aim to examine how bilinguals not exposed to CS in the community rate CS vs. unilingual sentences involving mood selection in Spanish. In an online acceptability judgment task (AJT), 20 Spanish L2ers rated sentences containing verbs in the indicative and subjunctive mood in restrictive relative clauses manipulated for the specificity of the antecedent in two separate sessions: a Spanish monolingual mode and a CS session. The L2ers did not show evidence of a CS effect and maintained a mood distinction according to the specificity of the antecedent both in unilingual and codeswitched sentences. These results are in contrast with the results previously reported for Spanish heritage speakers (HSs), where a CS effect is attested in the loss of preference for the subjunctive in nonspecific relative clauses in the CS vs. the monolingual Spanish condition. Additionally, this distinction is found at both lower and higher proficiency levels. The differences between these speakers and HSs are consistent with data from previous research on CS effects on phonology and Det–N switches. We argue that exposure to community norms is necessary for the acquisition of patterns not related exclusively to the grammaticality of switch junctures (I-language). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching)
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30 pages, 1844 KiB  
Article
The That-Trace Effect: Evidence from Spanish–English Code-Switching
by Bradley Hoot and Shane Ebert
Languages 2021, 6(4), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6040189 - 17 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4758
Abstract
The that-trace effect is the fact that many languages (like English) ban the extraction of embedded-clause subjects but not objects over an overt complementizer like that, while many other languages (like Spanish) allow such extractions. The effect and its cross-linguistic variation [...] Read more.
The that-trace effect is the fact that many languages (like English) ban the extraction of embedded-clause subjects but not objects over an overt complementizer like that, while many other languages (like Spanish) allow such extractions. The effect and its cross-linguistic variation have been the subject of intense research but remain largely a mystery, with no clear consensus on their underpinnings. We contribute novel evidence to these debates by using Spanish–English code-switching (the use of two languages in one sentence) to test five contemporary theoretical accounts of the that-trace effect. We conducted a formal acceptability judgment experiment, manipulating the extracted argument and code-switch site to test different combinations of linguistic features. We found that subject extraction is only permitted in Spanish–English code-switching when both the C head (que ‘that’) and the T head (i.e., the verb) are in Spanish, but not when either functional head is in English. Our results demonstrate indirect support for two of the five theories we test, failing to support the other three. Our findings also provide new evidence in favor of the view that the that-trace effect is tightly linked to the availability of post-verbal subjects. Finally, we outline how our results can narrow the range of possible theoretical accounts, demonstrating how code-switching data can contribute to core questions in linguistic theory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching)
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14 pages, 1125 KiB  
Article
Why Is There No Raising to Object in Spanish? A Study of Code-Switching
by Jeanne Heil and Luis López
Languages 2021, 6(4), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6040172 - 19 Oct 2021
Viewed by 1507
Abstract
Raising to Object (RtoObj), like other types of Raising configurations, features a determiner phrase (DP) in a dual-clausal relationship with both the matrix and the embedded clauses. RtoO is possible in English and a few other languages, most famously, Icelandic. However, it is [...] Read more.
Raising to Object (RtoObj), like other types of Raising configurations, features a determiner phrase (DP) in a dual-clausal relationship with both the matrix and the embedded clauses. RtoO is possible in English and a few other languages, most famously, Icelandic. However, it is not possible in many other languages, such as Spanish. As far as we can tell, insight into what licenses RtoObj is largely speculative. The main goal of this paper is to limit the range of possible hypotheses by pinpointing the source of the cross-linguistic difference using code-switching data. A priori, we could hypothesize two possible sources for the licensor of RtoObj: it could be a feature in the matrix clause or a feature in the infinitival complement. In this chapter, we present code-switching data that support the second option: English TdefP is linked to the licensing of RtoObj. We find that early Spanish/English bilinguals overwhelmingly prefer code-switched RtoObj samples when the infinitival complement is in English and they reject RtoObj when the complement is a Spanish infinitival. This suggests that Spanish Tdef is either different or altogether missing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Syntactic Properties of Code-Switching)
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