Abstract

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 nondominant). 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.

Comments

This is the author accepted manuscript of The impact of code-switching, language context, and language dominance on suprasegmental phonetics: Evidence for the role of predictability. Copyright SAGE Publications, it is made available here CC-BY-NC-ND, and the version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1367006914566204

Keywords

Code-switching, Phonetics, Prosody, Suprasegmental, Language Mode, Language Dominance

Date of this Version

2-4-2015

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