Language dominance and language nativeness
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Juana M. Liceras
Abstract
Investigating the interpretation and production of codeswitched structures involving functional and lexical categories by bilingual speakers constitutes a reliable tool to assess language dominance and/or nativeness. Language dominance has been described and measured in the context of bilingualism while nativeness is more rooted in the characterization of primary versus non-primary acquisition. Both concepts are intended to identify the specific ways in which language is represented in the mind of a bilingual. We draw from three different hypotheses formulated in the context of formal linguistics: the Grammatical Features Spell-Out Hypothesis, the Gender Double-Feature Valuation Mechanism, and the PF Interface Condition to show whether and how the codeswitching conditions established by these hypotheses constitute a diagnostic for language dominance and language nativeness.
Abstract
Investigating the interpretation and production of codeswitched structures involving functional and lexical categories by bilingual speakers constitutes a reliable tool to assess language dominance and/or nativeness. Language dominance has been described and measured in the context of bilingualism while nativeness is more rooted in the characterization of primary versus non-primary acquisition. Both concepts are intended to identify the specific ways in which language is represented in the mind of a bilingual. We draw from three different hypotheses formulated in the context of formal linguistics: the Grammatical Features Spell-Out Hypothesis, the Gender Double-Feature Valuation Mechanism, and the PF Interface Condition to show whether and how the codeswitching conditions established by these hypotheses constitute a diagnostic for language dominance and language nativeness.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction: Multiple influencing factors, diverse participants, varied techniques 1
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I. Codeswitching, identity, attitudes, and language politics
- Spanglish 11
- Codeswitching and identity among Island Puerto Rican bilinguals 37
- Codeswitching among African-American English, Spanish and Standard English in computer-mediated discourse 61
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II. Links between codeswitching and language proficiency and fluency
- Hablamos los dos in the Windy City 83
- Language dominance and language nativeness 107
- The role of unintentional/involuntary codeswitching 139
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III. Codeswitching in written corpora
- The stratification of English-language lone-word and multi-word material in Puerto Rican Spanish-language press outlets 171
- Socio-pragmatic functions of codeswitching in Nuyorican & Cuban American literature 191
- “Show what you know” 215
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IV. Bilingual structure in codeswitching
- Tú y yo can codeswitch, nosotros cannot 237
- On the productive use of ‘hacer + V’ in Northern Belize bilingual/trilingual codeswitching 261
- Mixed NPs in Spanish-English bilingual speech 281
- Comprehension patterns of two groups of Spanish-English bilingual codeswitchers 301
- Index 323
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction: Multiple influencing factors, diverse participants, varied techniques 1
-
I. Codeswitching, identity, attitudes, and language politics
- Spanglish 11
- Codeswitching and identity among Island Puerto Rican bilinguals 37
- Codeswitching among African-American English, Spanish and Standard English in computer-mediated discourse 61
-
II. Links between codeswitching and language proficiency and fluency
- Hablamos los dos in the Windy City 83
- Language dominance and language nativeness 107
- The role of unintentional/involuntary codeswitching 139
-
III. Codeswitching in written corpora
- The stratification of English-language lone-word and multi-word material in Puerto Rican Spanish-language press outlets 171
- Socio-pragmatic functions of codeswitching in Nuyorican & Cuban American literature 191
- “Show what you know” 215
-
IV. Bilingual structure in codeswitching
- Tú y yo can codeswitch, nosotros cannot 237
- On the productive use of ‘hacer + V’ in Northern Belize bilingual/trilingual codeswitching 261
- Mixed NPs in Spanish-English bilingual speech 281
- Comprehension patterns of two groups of Spanish-English bilingual codeswitchers 301
- Index 323
