The Essay begins with some general aspects of bilingualism and the different kinds of code-switching (CS). After a short explanation, the author exemplifies code-switching with the help of two studies and a model.
In the research field of bilingualism, CS received the highest interest in the past few years. It can be defined as the ability of bilinguals, who are able to switch easily between two or more languages. It is also common, that bilinguals integrate their two languages to a given degree.
While the first view of CS is the psycholinguistic one, it is also important to mention the sociolinguistic view on CS. It is important to understand, that there is a different behaviour of CS between women versus men, middle-class versus working-class, and other social groups. It is claimed, that the language manner and use are related to the speakers' social identity. From the sociolinguistic point of view, it can be argued, that sociolinguists can help us to understand CS in a different way.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Bilingualism
3 Language Mixing
4 Study - Phoneme triggered lexical decision task
4.1 Study - Guest words
4.2 Effects of guest word recognition
4.3 The TRACE model
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
Objectives and Research Focus
This essay examines the psycholinguistic mechanisms underlying code-switching and language mixing in bilingual individuals. The primary research focus is to understand how bilinguals access their internal lexicons during speech perception and production, specifically investigating how "guest words" from a secondary language are integrated and recognized within a base-language context.
- Psycholinguistic foundations of bilingualism and language modes.
- Mechanisms of language mixing, including code-switching and borrowing processes.
- Experimental analysis of phoneme-triggered lexical decision tasks.
- Evaluation of the TRACE model in explaining guest word recognition.
Excerpt from the Book
4 Study - Phoneme triggered lexical decision task
In the study of Soares and Grosjean investigated the lexical access of base-language words and code-switched words by means of the Phoneme Triggered Lexical Decision task. They did this, because word recognition in bilinguals has received much less attention, especially in the point of code-switches and borrowings.
In the experimental set-up English-Portuguese bilingual subjects got sentences and they were asked to listen to words or nonwords, which began with a pre-specified phoneme. If a probant found this word/nonword, he/she had to decide as quickly as possible whether the item was a real word or not. English monolingual subjects became only the English sets of sentences. So the bilingual probants got tested on three sets of sentences: English, Portuguese and code-switched and before each set the appropriate language mode was induced.
Two main findings were followed from the study. The first finding was, that bilinguals accessed real words just as the English monolinguals, but they were slower in responding to nonwords. Because Soares and Grosjean thought that this finding is linked up to the residual activation of the other language, when the bilingual is in monolingual language mode. They hypothesized that a nonword appeal to a complete search of the base-language lexicon (or an activation of the lexicon, depending on the access theory one espouses). Besides it is followed by a search of the other lexicon. In this way both researchers explain the longer reaction time. The second finding was that bilinguals took longer to access code-switched words in the bilingual language mode than they did base-language words in the monolingual language mode. Like in the first finding they suggested, those bilinguals always search the base-language lexicon before they activate the less used lexicon, but in a later paper both claimed that much more factors can affect this delay: Cross-language coarticulation, delay or absence in the speakers’ production, base-language context and the listener's tendency to assimilate ambiguous items during the perception of code-switches.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides a brief overview of the interest in code-switching and outlines the scope of the essay, covering both psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives.
2 Bilingualism: Explores language modes and the theories surrounding internal lexicons, specifically comparing monolingual and bilingual language processing.
3 Language Mixing: Defines various phenomena such as code-switching, borrowing, and calques, while distinguishing between intersentential and intrasentential switching.
4 Study - Phoneme triggered lexical decision task: Details an experimental study investigating how bilinguals access real words and code-switched items compared to monolinguals.
4.1 Study - Guest words: Examines why guest words take longer to recognize and outlines the gating-experiment conducted with French-English bilinguals.
4.2 Effects of guest word recognition: Identifies six general effects, such as the base-language effect and the phonotactic effect, that influence how bilinguals perceive words in continuous speech.
4.3 The TRACE model: Discusses an interactive activation model that uses excitatory and inhibitory processing to explain how interconnected language networks function in bilinguals.
5 Conclusion: Summarizes the current state of psycholinguistic research regarding language networks and suggests a need for further experiments on the monitor mechanism.
6 Bibliography: Lists the academic sources and literature consulted for this research paper.
Keywords
Bilingualism, Code-Switching, Language Mixing, Psycholinguistics, Lexical Access, Guest Words, TRACE Model, Borrowing, Phoneme Triggered Lexical Decision, Base-Language Effect, Phonotactic Effect, Language Modes, Interconnected Lexicons, Speech Perception.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper focuses on the psycholinguistic aspects of bilingualism, specifically investigating how bilingual speakers process and recognize words from two languages simultaneously.
What are the central themes of the text?
The central themes include the cognitive mechanisms of code-switching, the differences between monolingual and bilingual language processing, and the role of the lexicon in recognizing "guest words."
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to analyze the reasons behind the delay in processing mixed-language speech and to evaluate how bilinguals manage their two languages during comprehension and production.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author reviews existing empirical studies, specifically the "Phoneme Triggered Lexical Decision task" and the "Gating-experiment," to test hypotheses regarding lexical access.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main sections cover language modes, definitions of code-switching and borrowing, specific experimental findings regarding guest word recognition, and the application of the TRACE model.
Which keywords define this work?
The work is defined by terms such as Code-Switching, Bilingualism, Lexical Access, TRACE Model, and Language Mixing.
What is a "guest word" according to the author?
A guest word is defined as a word or structure taken from a guest language and embedded into a host language, often becoming phonologically and morphologically integrated.
How does the TRACE model explain bilingual speech?
The TRACE model uses a system of excitatory and inhibitory interactions across three levels—features, phonemes, and words—to suggest that bilinguals have two separate but interconnected language networks.
What is the "base-language effect"?
The base-language effect refers to the phenomenon where, when a guest word is presented in a base-language context, the listener tends to favor the base-language lexicon, causing a delay if the word is actually from a guest lexicon.
- Citation du texte
- Oskar Cylkowski (Auteur), 2015, Bilingualism and code-switching in young children, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/490476
