Paired bilingual associative links as the basis of code-switching mechanism

Tamara Dotsenko bisar@bk.ru Yuliya Leshchenkonaps1976@mail.ruTatyana Ostapenkoosttania@yandex.ruPerm State Pedagogical University

Code-switching in modern linguistics

Code-switching – concurrent use of two or more languages in one and the same speech act

(Figueroa 1995, Hansen 2000)

Code-switching in modern linguistics

Code-switching in modern linguistics

What is the basis of code-switching mechanism

How is code-switching mechanism formed

?

Mental lexicon models

Mental lexicon – base of speech production, «language in its pre-speech availability»

(Karaulov 1999)

Basic assumptions of bilingual mental lexicon models

multidimensional associative-verbal network, with nodes interconnected by links of various intensity

dynamic self-organizing system, based on two main processes:

- activation of nodes- competition of nodes(Grainger & Dijkstra 1992, Thomas 1997, French

1998, Grosjean 1998, Li & Farkaš 2002)

Hypothesis of research Nodes with paired bilingual associative links - the basis of code-switching

mechanism

girl

boy

мальчик

home

домой

go

large family

cемья

Stages of research1. Free associative experiment2. Modelling associative-verbal

network3. Analizing structural elements of the

network - nodes with paired bilingual links - clusters of nodes with paired

bilingual links

Free associative experiment Subjects: 1) students with low English proficiency level/

beginners (55 students) 2) students with intermediate English proficiency

level (52 students) Form of experiment: written

Stimuli: 53 frequent English words

Language code: unrestricted

Experimental material: 5300 verbal reactions

Low proficiency level Nodes with paired bilingual links

go

homeдомой

идти

бежать

приходитьбыстро

ко мне

работать

Low proficiency levelData of nodes with paired bilingual links

20% of nodes with paired bilingual links

1 bilingual pair in each node

- simple structure

- links of weak and medium intensity

(weak – 87%, medium – 13%)

Low proficiency levelTypes of nodes with paired bilingual links

Nodes with an English phonological-orthorgraphic link and a corresponding semantic link

семья

family

famous

слово

wordworld

сейчасnow

know

Low proficiency levelTypes of nodes with paired bilingual links

Nodes representing an English cliché combination/a well–known precedent text and a corresponding semantic link

счастливый

happy

English

время

time

over

мирworld

wonderful

Low proficiency levelTypes of nodes with paired bilingual links

Nodes with syntagmatic links universal for both languages

myмой

friend

английский

Englishlanguage

мнеme

give

Intermediate proficiency level Nodes with paired bilingual links

know

ноу хау know how

learn

умный

учиться

clever

понимать

understandeverything

знать зачет

knewinformation

the answer

Dynamic processes in nodes with paired bilingual links Low proficiency level Intermediate proficiency level

1.Increase in number of nodes with paired bilingual links

20% 70%

2. Increase in number of paired bilingual links in each node

1 pair up to 4 pairs

Dynamic processes in nodes with paired bilingual links Low proficiency level Intermediate proficiency level

3. Increase in links intensity87% - low 71% - low13% - medium 24% - medium

5% - high

Dynamic processes in nodes with paired bilingual links Low proficiency level Intermediate proficiency level

4.Complication of node structure with paired bilingual links

simple complicated

summer

holidaysканикулы

summer

holidays

каникулы

vacations

Dynamic processes in nodes with paired bilingual links Low proficiency level Intermediate proficiency level

5.Substitution of nodes with phonological-orthographic links by nodes with derivational and semantic links

Intermediate proficiency levelTypes of nodes with paired bilingual links

Nodes with semantic derivational links

over

overcomeпреодолевать

Intermediate proficiency levelTypes of nodes with paired bilingual links

Nodes with semantic paradigmatic links

haveeasy

обладать

posseshard

difficult

сложно

Intermediate proficiency levelTypes of nodes with paired bilingual links

Nodes with semantic syntagmatic links

friend go read

large

best

лучший

дом house

вперед

ahead

forward

book

книгу

Intermediate proficiency levelClusters of nodes with paired bilingual links

Simple closed clusters

Earth

world

земля

large

Simple open clusters

Intermediate proficiency levelClusters of nodes with paired bilingual links

student

studyknow

learn

учиться

Complicated closed clusters

Intermediate proficiency levelClusters of nodes with paired bilingual links

sentence

English

word

слово

английский

dictionary

language

Complicated open clusters

Intermediate proficiency levelClusters of nodes with paired bilingual links

easy

difficult

сложно

работа

work

teacher

hard

job

Conclusions1. Code-switching mechanism

is organized by: nodes with paired bilingual

associative links clusters of nodes with paired

bilingual associative links

Conclusions

Nodes with paired bilingual links: links of high intensity

– retrieval of a unit links of low intensity – inhibition of a unit

Conclusions

Clusters of nodes with paired bilingual links:simple – CS within a two-

component syntagm complicated – CS within a multy-component syntagm

Conclusions

Clusters of nodes with paired bilingual links:

closed – regular code-switching routes

open – variety of code-switching routes

Conclusions2. Formation of code-switching mechanism:

increase in number of nodes with paired bilingual links, increase in links intensity, complication of node structure

emergence of node clusters with paired bilingual links of various configuration