Doctoral Dissertation Research: Linking comprehension costs to production patterns during the processing of mixed language

语码转换，定义为双语话语中两种语言的交替，在许多双语社区中无处不在，包括美国的西班牙语-英语双语社区。该项目的动机来自于双语者的语码转换能力揭示了语言和人类认知的重要方面，这些方面通过研究单独使用一种语言的人不会很明显。大多数语码转换的研究都集中在口语生产的自然主义的数据收集的手段，然而，双语理解开关的方式在很大程度上尚未探索。这是一个重大的差距，因为语码转换不仅仅是一种生产现象：当说话者产生一个语码转换的句子时，信息的接收者也必须参与能够适应两种语言混合的解释机制。鉴于这一差距，罗莎·古扎多·塔玛戈将在保拉·杜西亚斯博士和奇普·格芬博士的指导下，研究指导理解语码转换句子的限制因素。被测试的假设，它来自当前的语言理解模型，预测在生产中的频繁开关比不频繁的开关更容易为个人理解。我们将考察两种类型的语码转换的理解情况：经常出现的涉及estar +动词的语码转换（例如，Los niños están playing）和涉及haber +动词的罕见代码交换（例如，los niños habían played）.所使用的方法将阅读理解任务与产生任务相结合。当西班牙语-英语双语者阅读代码转换的句子时，眼球运动将被记录下来。从双语者的产出数据也将被收集，以测试之间的联系，容易理解和生产频率。这些实验的结果将为当前关于人类句子处理机制的架构以及产生和理解系统之间的联系的争论提供信息。计划中的研究还将通过为两个美国机构的教师和学生之间的合作创造机会来加强研究基础设施。

Codeswitching, defined as the alternation of two languages within bilingual discourse, is ubiquitous in many bilingual communities, including Spanish-English bilingual communities in the U.S. The motivation for this project derives from the fact that bilinguals' ability to codeswitch reveals important aspects of language and human cognition that would not be readily apparent by studying individuals who speak one language alone. Most codeswitching studies have focused on spoken production by means of naturalistic data collection; however, the way in which bilinguals comprehend switches has been largely unexplored. This is a significant gap because codeswitching is not only a production phenomenon: when a speaker produces a codeswitched sentence, the recipient of the message must also engage interpretive mechanisms that can accommodate the mixing of two languages. Given this gap, Rosa Guzzardo Tamargo, under the direction of Drs. Paola Dussias and Chip Gerfen, will investigate the constraints that guide the comprehension of codeswitched sentences. The hypothesis being tested, which derives from current models of language comprehension, predicts that frequent switches in production are easier for individuals to comprehend than less frequent switches. The comprehension of two types of codeswitches will be examined: frequently occurring codeswitches involving estar + verb (e.g., los niños están playing) and infrequent codeswitches involving haber + verb (e.g., los niños habían played). The approach to be used integrates reading comprehension tasks with production tasks. Eye movements will be recorded while Spanish-English bilinguals read codeswitched sentences. Production data from the same bilinguals will also be collected to test the link between ease of comprehension and production frequency. Results from these experiments will inform current debates about the architecture of the human sentence processing mechanism and the link between the production and comprehension systems. The planned studies will also enhance the infrastructure for research by establishing opportunities for collaboration between faculty members and students at two U.S. institutions.