In the following pages I want to focus on the code switching of Russian-German bilinguals. The phenomenon of code switching has its origin in the research of bilingualism and code switching can be examined from different perspectives. There are grammatical or syntactic, sociolinguistic or pragmatic, conversational and psycholinguistic aspects of code switching. In which situations is code switching possible or probable? Where does code switching seem to be possible syntactically? Why do speakers code-switch? Do bilingual speakers behave in another way in different social situations?
Firstly, I will give some definitions of the term “code switching” and I will define the various types of code switching. In addition, I will concentrate on Shana Poplack’s grammatical constraints and on Carol Myers-Scotton’s Matrix and Embedded Language theory. The next chapter will deal with my case study. First of all, I will name some relevant characteristics of Russian and then the procedure of the case study will be presented. Afterwards, while analysing my collected data I will try to find similarities as well as differences with regard to Poplack’s and Myers-Scotton’s theories and I will take a look at the functions of code switching. The conclusion will comprise the main points and some suggestions for further discussion.
Up to now many researches on code switching were undertaken. As a consequence, various definitions and types of code switching can be found throughout the history of research on code switching. In this chapter I will concentrate on two of the major theories of code switching – on Poplack’s and Myers-Scotton’s code switching theories. Code switching is the term for different languages coming into contact with one another in a conversation. This could be a general definition for code switching. Bilingual or multilingual speakers, people who possess two or even more languages, normally tend to code-switch, that means that they change from one language to the other and use words and phrases from distinct languages.
According to Wei (2000, 16) code switching occurs “when a bilingual talks to another bilingual with the same linguistic background and changes from one language to another in the course of conversation”. Poplack (2000, 224) defines code switching as “the alternation of two languages within a single discourse, sentence or constituent”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Theories of Code Switching
2.1. Definition and Types of Code Switching
2.2. Poplack’s Two-Constraint Model
2.2.1. The Free Morpheme Constraint
2.2.2. The Equivalence Constraint
2.3. Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model
3. My Case Study
3.1. Relevant Characteristics of Russian
3.2. Method of Investigation
3.2.1. Procedure
3.2.2. Participants
4. Analysis of the Data
4.1. Inter-sentential Code Switching
4.2. Intra-sentential Code Switching
4.3. Tag Switching
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
Objectives and Themes
This study explores the linguistic phenomenon of code switching among a family of five Russian-German bilinguals residing in Germany. The research aims to analyze real-life conversations to determine the frequency and types of switching, while testing the applicability of established theories, specifically Shana Poplack's grammatical constraints and Carol Myers-Scotton's Matrix Language Frame model, in a naturalistic setting.
- Analysis of inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and tag switching patterns.
- Evaluation of grammatical constraints in bilingual discourse.
- Application of the Matrix Language Frame model to Russian-German speech data.
- Investigation of sociolinguistic factors and speaker awareness in code switching.
- Contrastive analysis of Russian and German language structures in mixed utterances.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1. Inter-sentential Code Switching
I will start with an example of inter-sentential code switching. Here in (1) the inter-sentential code switching occurs even between two speaker, that means that the sentence boundaries are between the mother and the daughter.
(1) M: Какая у вас сегодня погода была?
What weather did you have today?
D: Bei uns hat die Sonne gescheint.
We had sunshine.
M: У нас весь день шёл дождь.
We had rain the whole day.
D: Echt? Bei uns soll es morgen auch regnen.
Really? It is said that tomorrow we will have rain, too.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The author outlines the scope of the study, focusing on Russian-German bilinguals, and introduces the theoretical frameworks of Poplack and Myers-Scotton that guide the analysis.
2. Theories of Code Switching: This chapter provides a foundational overview of code switching definitions and types, alongside a detailed explanation of Poplack’s constraints and Myers-Scotton’s MLF model.
3. My Case Study: The author details the linguistic background of Russian, the methodology used for data collection, and introduces the five participants living in Germany.
4. Analysis of the Data: This section presents the empirical evidence collected, categorizing switches into inter-sentential, intra-sentential, and tag switching, and evaluates them against existing theories.
5. Conclusion: The study concludes that code switching is a systematic phenomenon used by bilinguals and argues that the observed switches often contradict some of the strict predictions of established grammatical theories.
6. Bibliography: This chapter lists the academic sources and theoretical works utilized for the research.
Keywords
Code switching, Russian-German bilingualism, Poplack, Myers-Scotton, Matrix Language Frame, inter-sentential, intra-sentential, tag switching, grammar, morphosyntactic, linguistic competence, bilingual speech, borrowing, language contact, sociolinguistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research?
The research examines the phenomenon of code switching within a specific family of Russian-German bilinguals living in Germany to understand how they mix languages in everyday communication.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The work covers grammatical theories of code switching, the structural challenges of language contact, and the sociolinguistic aspects of bilingual interaction.
What is the central research objective?
The primary goal is to analyze whether the code switching behavior of the observed participants conforms to the universal grammatical rules proposed by scholars like Shana Poplack and Carol Myers-Scotton.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author conducted a qualitative case study by recording two hours of family conversation per week over one month, resulting in eight hours of material for linguistic analysis.
What does the main part of the work cover?
The main section analyzes recorded data through the lens of specific constraints, such as the Free Morpheme Constraint and the Matrix Language Frame model, providing real-world examples of mixed utterances.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include code switching, bilingualism, Matrix Language Frame, intra-sentential switching, and grammatical constraints.
Why is the "Free Morpheme Constraint" often violated in the data?
The author notes that speakers often attach Russian inflectional endings to German verbs, which constitutes a switch between stems and affixes, thereby contravening the strict rules of Poplack’s model.
Does the study support the assumption that non-fluent speakers only use tag switching?
No, the findings indicate that even speakers with varying degrees of proficiency utilize a wide range of switching types, including complex intra-sentential switches, contradicting earlier assumptions.
What role does the "Matrix Language" play in the author's analysis?
The author uses Myers-Scotton’s model to identify the dominant language in a conversation and demonstrates how this language provides the morphosyntactic framework for the entire sentence, even when embedded words are used.
- Quote paper
- Anastasia Deibert (Author), 2007, Code switching of Russian-German bilinguals, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/88700
