Processing Mixed Language

语码转换，即在双语交流中交替使用或混合使用两种语言，通常被认为是语言使用有缺陷的标志，因此很可能受到指责，因为人们错误地得出结论，认为语码转换的人只能把每种语言的碎片混合在一起。实际上，混合话语的一个普遍特征是它们流畅地产生，没有犹豫、停顿或纠正，反映了两种语言系统的系统和精细控制的整合。本项目将收集眼动数据来研究双语阅读和口语理解过程中的语码转换。该方法是跨学科的，建立并连接了语码转换的语言学方法和语言处理的实验心理语言学工作的进展。提出的实验是由两个核心问题驱动的：1)是否存在促进编码转换语言处理的句法语境？2)两种语言的熟练程度如何调节理解过程中的语言加工？这些问题的答案将在几个方面有助于知识的进步。随着美国人口结构的变化，以及美国和其他国家个人之间交流的增多，以书面形式交流的人数正以惊人的速度增长。语码转换在双语社区中普遍存在，并且越来越多地以书面形式出现，特别是在说西班牙语-英语的人群中。鉴于西班牙语-英语双语在美国的快速增长，提高对双语者如何处理混合语言话语的理解变得越来越重要。其次，该项目比以往的研究更严格地评估第二语言的熟练程度。因此，研究结果将为评估第二语言能力提供有价值的信息，这对于成功的跨文化互动需要熟练的双语交流的语境至关重要。此外，该项目将支持来自美国弱势群体的双语研究生研究人员和双语本科生研究助理，包括奇卡诺人和其他美国拉丁裔人，从而促进传统上弱势群体的个人在研究生和本科生水平的科学研究中的包容和培训。

Code-switching, the alternating use or mixing of two languages in bilingual communication, is often assumed to be a sign of defective language use, and is therefore likely stigmatized because people incorrectly conclude that speakers who code-switch are limited to producing an amalgam of broken bits of each language. In reality, a general characteristic of mixed utterances is that they are produced fluidly, without hesitation, pauses, or corrections, reflecting a systematic and exquisitely controlled integration of two linguistic systems. This project will collect eye-tracking data to examine code-switching during bilingual language reading and spoken language comprehension. The approach is cross-disciplinary, building on and bridging advances in both linguistic approaches to code-switching and experimental psycholinguistic work on language processing. The proposed experiments are motivated by two central questions: 1) Are there syntactic contexts that facilitate the processing of code-switched language?; and 2) How does the proficiency of speakers in both of their languages modulate language processing during comprehension? The answer to these questions will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in several ways. With demographic changes in the US and more communication between individuals here and in other countries, the number of people communicating in writing is increasing at an extraordinary rate. Code-switching is ubiquitous in bilingual communities and it is becoming increasingly more present in its written form, especially in the case of Spanish-English speakers. Given the rapid growth of Spanish-English bilingualism in the US, it is increasingly important to improve understanding of how bilinguals process mixed language discourse. Second, the project evaluates proficiency in a second language more rigorously than past studies. Therefore, the results will provide valuable information for assessing second language proficiency, which is crucial in contexts in which proficient bilingual communication is required for successful cross-cultural interactions. In addition, this project will support bilingual graduate student researchers and bilingual undergraduate research assistants from underrepresented populations in the US, including Chicanos and other US Latinos, thus promoting the inclusion and training of individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups in scientific research both at the graduate and undergraduate levels.