Appraises some of the major research in Spanish-English code-switching which has implications for determining the linguistic competence of bilinguals and the manner in which the two languages are represented in the cognitive apparatus. (EKN)

Focuses on intrasentential codeswitching among locally born inhabitants of Brussels, Belguim. The disappearance of intrasentential codeswitching is shown to be related to knowledge of standard Dutch. Apart from this, intrasentential codeswitching is probably no longer a generalized practice in Brussels because the codes involved symbolize social…

Uncovers the neglected roots of codeswitching, researching early studies of codeswitching an the state of the field before 1950. Examines why studies predating the 1960s and 1970s have been ignored by modern codeswitching researchers. (Author/VWL)

Bilingual speech requires that the language of utterances be selected prior to articulation. Past research has debated whether the language of speaking can be determined in advance of speech planning and, if not, the level at which it is eventually selected. We argue that the reason that it has been difficult to come to an agreement about language…

This paper presents the results of a small-scale study of codeswitching (CS) between Chinese and English in primary English classrooms with a view to informing classroom interaction with young learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). It analyzes CS of two teachers participating in the Primary English Curriculum Innovation (PECI) project in…

Early bilingualism of many young children is characterized by an apparent mixture of languages. Because of the variety of patterns they follow and the lack of empirical data available it is difficult to make generalizations. However, the speech of individual children can be examined for insights into early bilingualism. To this purpose, a study…

Describes a study designed to examine variables influencing the way native speakers talk to foreigners and the form native speaker modification may take. Considers five variables: (1) negotiation of meaning, (2) quantity of speech, (3) amount of repair, (4) elaborated responses, and (5) transparent responses. (SED)

Presents a syncretic model to provide a stepping stone between current codeswitching literature and future research by analyzing the form that bilingual codeswitched utterances take, as well as the internal and external factors that trigger these codeswitches. Includes an analysis of three dimensions of bilingual codeswitching: linguistic,…

This paper reviews issues and analyses in bilingual switching, or intercalation, and offers a topological model to represent the activity of code switching, sometimes under the same environmental conditions and with the same interlocutors. The topological notion of catastrophe is proposed as a means to model the various factors that influence code…

A study examined the shift from standard spoken Japanese to dialect and compared it to the shift from formal to informal forms, within the context of several theories of code-switching and style-shifting. A five-minute segment was taken from a 30-minute conversation between three female native Japanese-speakers, all familiar with the Osaka…

Examines two works, "Pnin" (1957) and "Pale Fire" (1962), by writer Vladimir Nabokov, a polyglot with strong metalinguistic awareness. Shows how Nabokov used a polylinguistic matrix to create a subtext partially accessible to monoglots but only fully comprehensible to those who know several languages, literatures and histories.…

Reports on interviews in representative areas of Galicia, Spain, with both open-ended and standardized items on usage of the minority language (Galician) and the official language (Spanish). The findings revealed that upper age, low social status, and rural residence were associated with minority language choice, and that during adolescence,…

In conversations between bilinguals, each of whom is a learner of the other's language, two different local patterns of codeswitching may emerge: compliance and mutual convergence. It is argued that a pattern of compliance is ultimately more accommodating that convergence, contrary to the claims of Speech Accommodation Theory. (20 references)…

Addresses the issue of whether there exists a matrix language to a code-mixed (CM) sentence, or whether no feasible linguistic analysis can reliably assign a matrix language to a CM sentence. The examination draws on natural conversations involving Chinese-English CM in Singapore. (41 references) (GLR)

Provides an overview of the topic of this special issue of the journal--discourse markers in bilingual conversation. Introduces the studies included in the issue, which investigate discourse markers in bilingual conversation from a variety of perspectives. As a whole the articles document the phenomenon of language alternation at discourse markers…