Grammatical Theory and Bilingual Codeswitching

Codeswitching is the alternate use of two or more languages among bilingualinterlocutors. It is distinct from borrowing, which involves the phonological and morphologicalintegration of a word from one language into another. Codeswitching involves the mixing ofphonologically distinctive elements into a single utterance: Mi hermano bought some icecream. This volume examines the grammatical properties of languages mixed in this way,focusing on cases of language mixing within a sentence. It considers the grammar of codeswitchingfrom a variety of perspectives, offering a collection of theoretically significant work by theleading researchers in the field.

Each contribution investigates a particulargrammatical phenomenon as it relates to bilingual codeswitching data, mostly from a Minimalistperspective. The contributors first offer detailed grammatical accounts of codeswitching, thenconsider phonological and morphological issues that arise from the question of whether codeswitchingis permitted within words. Contributors additionally investigate the semantics and syntax ofcodeswitching and psycholinguistic issues in bilingual language processing. The data analyzedinclude codeswitching in Spanish-English, Korean-English, German-Spanish, Hindi-English, andAmerindian languages.

ContributorsShoba Bandi-Rao, Rakesh M.Bhatt, Sonia Colina, Marcel den Dikken, Anna Maria Di Sciullo, Daniel L. Finer, Kay E.Gonzalez-Vilbazo, Silvia Milian Hita, Jeff MacSwan, Pieter Muysken, Monica Moro Quintanilla, ErinO'Rourke, Ana Teresa Perez-Leroux, Edward P. Stabler Jr., Gretchen Sunderman, Almeida JacquelineToribio

Jeff MacSwan is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Program in Language, Literacy, and Social Inquiry and of Language and Speech in the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science at the University of Maryland.