The impact of code-switching, language context, and language dominance on suprasegmental phonetics: Evidence for the role of predictability

Daniel J Olson ^[1]
1. [1] Purdue University
  
  Purdue University
  
  Township of Wabash, Estados Unidos
Localización: International Journal of Bilingualism: interdisciplinary studies of multilingual behaviour, ISSN 1367-0069, Vol. 20, Nº. 4, 2016 (Ejemplar dedicado a: cross-linguistic aspects in child L2 acquisition), págs. 453-472
Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
- Purpose: The present study investigates the suprasegmental reflexes of code-switching, considering both language context (i.e., language mode) and language dominance.
  
  Design: To this end, an experimental oral production paradigm was administered to 14 Spanish-English bilinguals, comparing code-switched to non-switched productions and varying both context (monolingual or bilingual) and response language (dominant or non-dominant).
  
  Data and Analysis: Productions were analyzed for two suprasegmental features: pitch height and stressed vowel duration.
  
  Conclusions: Results indicate a significant effect of code-switching on suprasegmental production, with code-switched tokens produced with overall greater pitch movement and duration relative to non-switched tokens. These effects, however, were modulated by both language context and language dominance.
  
  Originality: Given the relation of prosody to cognitive factors, this novel approach to the suprasegmental features of code-switching, specifically considering language dominance and context, provides a unique opportunity to further the understanding of the underlying language switching process.
  
  Significance: These findings are addressed within a theoretical framework of predictability and hyper-articulation, and it is suggested that the suprasegmental realizations of code-switched tokens correspond to a degree of contextually driven predictability.