Code-Switching: Unifying Contemporary And Historical Perspectives

Description

This book systematically discusses the link between bilingual language production and its manifestation in historical documents, drawing together two branches of linguistics which have much in common but are traditionally dealt with separately. By combining the study of historical mixed texts with the principles of modern code-switching and bilingualism research, the author argues that the cognitive processes underpinning the human capacity to produce mixed utterances have remained unchanged throughout history, even as the languages themselves are constantly changing. This book will be of interest to scholars of historical linguistics, syntactic theory (particularly generative grammar), language variation and change. Acknowledgments......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 10 List of Figures......Page 11 Chapter 1: Introduction......Page 12 References......Page 19 Chapter 2: Understanding the Grammar of Mixed Language......Page 22 2.1 The Study of Code-Switching Structures......Page 25 2.1.1 Constraint-Based Approaches......Page 26 2.1.2 The MLF Model: Relevant Detail......Page 30 2.1.3 Critical Voices......Page 34 2.2 Historical Multilingualism and Code-Switching......Page 37 2.2.1 Studying Historical Mixed Texts: A Contrastive Overview......Page 38 2.2.2 Challenges of Mixed Language Manuscripts......Page 41 2.2.3 Exploring the Diachronic Trajectory of Code-Switching......Page 43 References......Page 45 Chapter 3: Early English Code-Switching......Page 49 3.1 Mixed Language Sermons......Page 50 3.2 Variation Within the Noun Phrase......Page 59 3.2.1 Data and Methodology......Page 60 3.2.2 The Curious Case of Case Marking......Page 62 3.2.3 Three Quirky Examples......Page 64 3.3 Stability Within the Verb Phrase......Page 71 3.3.1 Data and Methodology......Page 75 3.3.2 The Pivotal Role of the Finite Verb......Page 76 3.3.3 Two Morphological Riddles......Page 81 3.3.4 Intermediate Summary......Page 84 References......Page 85 Chapter 4: Code-Switching Across Time and Space......Page 88 4.1 Assessing the Results......Page 89 4.2 Theoretical Implications......Page 92 4.3 Outlook......Page 96 References......Page 98 Index......Page 101