Cymraeg English: a classic case of codeswitching

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Cymraeg- English a classic case of
code-switching?

• Margaret Deuchar
• Dept of Linguistics
• University of Wales, Bangor

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Acknowledgments

• AHRB
• Bob Hollyman-Mawson
• Sioned Jones
• Tanya Moss
• Martin Sanderson
• Mari-Eluned Williams
• UWB

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Data examples

• (1) tin gwybod lle maer youth hostel na?
• (2) dw in support-io Cymru
• (3) oedd on hollol ridiculous yn doedd
• (4) ond mae on standing joke
• (5) mae honna wedi mynd off am babi..
• (6) oedd on awful
• (7) oedden nhw mor desperate though
• (8) dw in love-io soaps
• (9) oedd on gar tua seven seater

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Code-switching

• Intra-sentential
• the use of two languages in the same clause
  (Myers-Scotton 20023)
• (6) Oedd on awful

• Inter-sentential
• changing languages betweeen clauses
• (5) Mae honna wedi mynd off am babi,
• come to think of it.

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Code-switching

• Intra-sentential
• the use of two languages in the same clause
  (Myers-Scotton 20023)
• (6) Oedd on awful

• Inter-sentential
• changing languages betweeen clauses
• (5) Mae honna wedi mynd off am babi,
• come to think of it.

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Single word insertions switch vs. loan?

• Switch examples
• news
• support-io
• awful

• Loan examples
• cwpwrdd
• ffitio
• neis

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What is classic code-switching?

• Unequal participation of two languages in a
  clause
• One main or matrix language in each clause
• Matrix language can be unambiguously identified
  in each clause
• Occurs in situations of stable bilingualism
• Speakers have a high degree of competence in the
  matrix language.

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Is Welsh-English a classic case of code-switching?

• Can a matrix language be identified
  unambiguously as Welsh or English in each
  bilingual clause?

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Matrix Language Frame model

• Matrix Language Principle
• There is always an analyzable or resolvable
• frame structuring the morphosyntax of any CP
• (Myers-Scotton 20028).
• Asymmetry Principle
• Bilingual speech is characterized by asymmetry
• in terms of the participation of the languages
  concerned (Myers-Scotton 20028).
• Morpheme-sorting Principle

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Morpheme-sorting principle

• All morphemes are not equal (Myers-Scotton
  20029)
• (1) content morphemes peth, thing
• (2) early system morphemes (peth)au,(thing)s
• (3) bridge late system morphemes
• (friend) of (John) , (llawer) o (bobl)
• (4) outsider late morphemes, e.g. subject-verb
  agreement (she run)s, mae (hin rhedeg)

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Identification of matrix language in each
bilingual clause.

• Criteria
• (1) Source of late outsider morphemes
• (2) Morpheme order

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Application of criteria

• Example (10)
• mae on reit camouflaged
• be.3S.PRES PRON.3S-PRT quite
  camouflaged
• hes quite camouflaged
• is on reit camouflaged
• on mae reit camouflaged
• Criterion 1 Welsh
• Criterion 2 Welsh
• Matrix language Welsh

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Application of criteria

• Example (11)
• beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ngwasi.
  (dear)
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, dear.
• beauty mae in the eye of the beholder, ngwasi
• is beauty in the eye of the beholder, ngwasi
• Criterion 1 English
• Criterion 2 English
• Matrix language English

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An ambiguous result

• Example (12)
• o tin gorgeous
• oh PRON.3S-PRT gorgeous
• Oh youre gorgeous
• Criterion 1 not applicable
• Criterion 2 compatible with both Welsh and
  English
• Matrix language ambiguous

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A problematic result

• Example (13)
• ddaru ni gyfweld pnawn ma am
• did we interview afternoon
  this for
• ddeg awr assistant i DS
• ten hour assistant to DS
• we interviewed this afternoon for a ten hour
  assistant to DS
• Criterion 1 not applicable
• Criterion 2 conflicting result

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Quantitative analysis

• In what proportion of bilingual clauses is
• a Matrix Language unambiguously
• identifiable?
• 40 minute conversation
• 179 bilingual clauses
• 533 turns

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ResultsMatrix language identification
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Matrix language identification
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Convergence in clauses with ambiguous matrix
language?

• O tin gorgeous
• oh PRON.3S-PRT gorgeous
• Oh youre gorgeous
• cf.
• O wyt tin gorgeous
• oh be.2S.PRES PRON.3S-PRT gorgeous
• Oh youre gorgeous

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Convergence in clauses with ambiguous matrix
language?

• E.g. you know
• gwyddost
• be.2S.PRES
• wyt tin gwybod
• be.2S.PRES PRON.2S.PRT know
• tin gwybod
• PRON.2S.PRT know

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Convergence in clauses with unidentifiable matrix
language?

• Example (13)
• ddaru ni gyfweld pnawn ma am
• did we interview afternoon
  this for
• ddeg awr assistant i DS
• ten hour assistant to DS
• ten hour assistant
• assistant deg awr
• we interviewed for a deg awr assistant

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Convergence in clauses with unidentifiable matrix
language?

• Example (14)
• fi di bod i-r bus lle
• PRON.1S PRT be.NONFIN to-DET bus
  place
• Ive been to the bus place
• bus place
• lle bws/bus

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Conclusions

• Welsh-English is a classic case of code-switching
• There is some small indication of convergence in
  spoken Welsh structure towards English.