1887
Volume 12, Issue 6
  • ISSN 1879-9264
  • E-ISSN: 1879-9272
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

This paper investigates the strategies involved in gender assignment in Spanish-Basque mixed Determiner Phrases (DPs) with a gendered Spanish determiner ( /) and a Basque ungendered noun. Previous studies on Spanish-Basque mixed DPs have revealed conflicting results regarding the determining factor affecting gender assignment, namely, phonological ending vs. analogical gender. We designed a forced-switch elicitation task in order to elicit mixed DPs with a Spanish determiner and a Basque noun (controlled for both phonological vs. analogical cues). Thirty highly proficient Spanish-Basque bilinguals with different profiles and socio­linguistic backgrounds participated in the study. Three cues were significant in the selection of the Spanish M/F determiner: the analogical gender and two phonological cues, the word ending and the root ending of the Basque noun. Further statistical analyses revealed participants’ L1 as a strong factor in the variability attested: bilinguals with Spanish as (one of) their L1(s) rely predominantly on the analogical criterion, whereas speakers with only Basque as L1 follow mainly the phonological criterion. Overall, this study provides an explanation for the previous conflicting results and highlights the fact that bilinguals may use different strategies depending on their bilingual profile and the morpho-phonological properties of the languages in contact.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/lab.20016.mun
2021-03-30
2025-02-13
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Acha, J. , Laka, I. , Landa, J. , & Salaburu, P.
    (2014) EHME: A new word database for research in Basque language. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 17, E79.   10.1017/sjp.2014.79
    https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2014.79 [Google Scholar]
  2. Artiagoitia, X.
    (2012) The DP Hypothesis in the grammar of Basque. In U. Etxeberria , R. Etxepare , & M. Uribe-Etxebarria (Eds.), Noun phrases and nominalization in Basque: syntax and semantics (pp.21–78). John Benjamins. 10.1075/la.187.04art
    https://doi.org/10.1075/la.187.04art [Google Scholar]
  3. Badiola, L. , & Sande, A.
    (2018) Gender assignment in Basque/Spanish mixed Determiner Phrases: a study of simultaneous bilinguals. In L. López (Ed.), Code-switching – Experimental answers to theoretical questions: in honor of Kay González-Vilbazo (pp.15–38). John Benjamins. 10.1075/ihll.19.02bad
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.19.02bad [Google Scholar]
  4. Balam, O.
    (2016) Semantic categories and gender assignment in contact Spanish: Type of code-switching and its relevance to linguistic outcomes. Journal of Language Contact, 9(3), 405–435.   10.1163/19552629‑00903001
    https://doi.org/10.1163/19552629-00903001 [Google Scholar]
  5. Bates, D. , Mächler, M. , Bolker, B. , & Walker, S.
    (2015) Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4. Journal of Statistical Software, 67(1), 48.   10.18637/jss.v067.i01
    https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01 [Google Scholar]
  6. Beatty-Martínez, A. L. , & Dussias, P. E.
    (2019) Revisiting Masculine and Feminine Grammatical Gender in Spanish: Linguistic, Psycholinguistic, and Neurolinguistic Evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(751).   10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00751
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00751 [Google Scholar]
  7. Bellamy, K. , Parafita Couto, M. C. , & Stadthagen-Gonzalez, H.
    (2018) Investigating gender assignment strategies in mixed Purepecha–Spanish nominal constructions. Languages, 3(3), 28.   10.3390/languages3030028
    https://doi.org/10.3390/languages3030028 [Google Scholar]
  8. Blokzijl, J. , Deuchar, M. , & Parafita Couto, M. C.
    (2017) Determiner asymmetry in mixed nominal constructions: The role of grammatical factors in data from Miami and Nicaragua. Languages, 2(4), 20.   10.3390/languages2040020
    https://doi.org/10.3390/languages2040020 [Google Scholar]
  9. Caffarra, S. , Barber, H. , Molinaro, N. , & Carreiras, M.
    (2017) When the end matters: influence of gender cues during agreement computation in bilinguals. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 32(9), 1069–1085.   10.1080/23273798.2017.1283426
    https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2017.1283426 [Google Scholar]
  10. Clegg, J. H.
    (2010) Native Spanish speaker intuition in noun gender assignment. Language Design: Journal of Theoretical and Experimental Linguistics, 12, 5–18.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Corbett, G. G.
    (2006) Agreement. Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Chan, B. H.-S.
    (2008) Code-switching, word order and the lexical/functional category distinction. Lingua, 118(6), 777–809. 10.1016/j.lingua.2007.05.004
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2007.05.004 [Google Scholar]
  13. Delgado, R.
    (2018) The familiar and the strange: Gender assignment in Spanish/English mixed DPs. In L. López (Ed.), Code-switching – Experimental Answers to Theoretical Questions: In honor of Kay González-Vilbazo (pp.39–62). John Benjamins. 10.1075/ihll.19.03del
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.19.03del [Google Scholar]
  14. Duñabeitia, J. A. , Crepaldi, D. , Meyer, A. S. , New, B. , Pliatsikas, C. , Smolka, E. , & Brysbaert, M.
    (2018) MultiPic: A standardized set of 750 drawings with norms for six European languages. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 71(4), 808–816.   10.1080/17470218.2017.1310261
    https://doi.org/10.1080/17470218.2017.1310261 [Google Scholar]
  15. Eddington, D.
    (2002) Spanish gender assignment in an analogical framework. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 9(1), 49–75.   10.1076/jqul.9.1.49.8482
    https://doi.org/10.1076/jqul.9.1.49.8482 [Google Scholar]
  16. Eddington, D. , & Hualde, J. I.
    (2008) El abundante agua fría: Hermaphroditic Spanish Nouns. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 1(1), 5–32.   10.1515/shll‑2008‑1004
    https://doi.org/10.1515/shll-2008-1004 [Google Scholar]
  17. Ezeizabarrena, M. J.
    (2009) Development in language mixing: early Basque-Spanish bilingualism. In J. Grinstead (Ed.), Hispanic child languages: typical and impaired development (pp.57–89). John Benjamins. 10.1075/lald.50.04eze
    https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.50.04eze [Google Scholar]
  18. Ezeizabarrena, M. J. , & Munarriz-Ibarrola, A.
    (2019) Gender variability in mixed DPs as evidence for a less stable “third” lexicon in code-switching. Paper presented at theAESLA 37, Valladolid.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Glover, S. , & Dixon, P.
    (2004) Likelihood ratios: A simple and flexible statistic for empirical psychologists. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 11(5), 791–806.   10.3758/BF03196706
    https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196706 [Google Scholar]
  20. Green, D. W. , Crinion, J. , & Price, C. J.
    (2006) Convergence, degeneracy, and control. Language Learning, 56(s1), 99–125.   10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2006.00357.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2006.00357.x [Google Scholar]
  21. Grosjean, F.
    (1997) The bilingual individual. Interpreting, 2(1–2), 163–187.   10.1075/intp.2.1‑2.07gro
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.2.1-2.07gro [Google Scholar]
  22. Gullberg, M. , Indefrey, P. , & Muysken, P.
    (2009) Research techniques for the study of code-switching. In B. E. Bullock & A. J. Toribio (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook on linguistic code-switching (pp.21–39). Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511576331.003
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511576331.003 [Google Scholar]
  23. Harris, J.
    (1991) The exponence of gender in Spanish. Linguistic Inquiry, 22, 27–62.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Imaz Agirre, A.
    (2016) The processing of gender assignment in Spanish: does canonicity have an effect on Basque speakers?Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada, 29(2), 523–543. 10.1075/resla.29.2.06ima
    https://doi.org/10.1075/resla.29.2.06ima [Google Scholar]
  25. Iriondo, A.
    (2017) Kode-alternantzia elebidun gazteetan: DS nahasiak. Gogoa, 16, 25–56. 10.1387/gogoa.18646
    https://doi.org/10.1387/gogoa.18646 [Google Scholar]
  26. Jorschick, L. , Endesfelder Quick, A. , Glasser, D. , Lieven, E. , & Tomasello, M.
    (2011) German-English-speaking children’s mixed NPs with ‘correct’ agreement. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 14(2), 173–183.   10.1017/S1366728910000131
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728910000131 [Google Scholar]
  27. Kuznetsova, A. , Brockhoff, P. B. , & Christensen, R. H. B.
    (2017) lmerTest Package: Tests in linear mixed effects models 2017, 82(13), 26.   10.18637/jss.v082.i13
    https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v082.i13 [Google Scholar]
  28. Liceras, J. M. , Fernández Fuertes, R. , & Klassen, R.
    (2016) Language dominance and language nativeness: the view from English-Spanish code-switching. In R. E. Guzzardo Tamargo , C. M. Mazak , & M. C. Parafita Couto (Eds.), Spanish-English codeswitching in the Caribbean and the US (pp.107–138). John Benjamins. 10.1075/ihll.11.05lic
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.11.05lic [Google Scholar]
  29. Liceras, J. M. , Fernández Fuertes, R. , Perales, S. , Pérez-Tattam, R. , & Spradlin, K. T.
    (2008) Gender and number agreement in bilingual native and non-native grammars: a view from child and adult functional-lexical mixings. Lingua, 118(6), 761–852.   10.1016/j.lingua.2007.05.006
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2007.05.006 [Google Scholar]
  30. Lipski, J. M.
    (2015) From ‘more’ to ‘less’: Spanish, Palenquero (Afro-Colombian creole) and gender agreement. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 30(9), 1144–1155.   10.1080/23273798.2014.975727
    https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2014.975727 [Google Scholar]
  31. (2016) The role of unintentional/involuntary codeswitching: Did I really say that?Spanish-English codeswitching in the Caribbean and the US. (pp.139–168). John Benjamins. 10.1075/ihll.11.06lip
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.11.06lip [Google Scholar]
  32. López, L.
    (2020) Bilingual grammar: Toward an integrated model. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/9781108756181
    https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108756181 [Google Scholar]
  33. Montrul, S. , Foote, R. , & Perpiñán, S.
    (2008) Gender agreement in adult second language learners and Spanish heritage speakers: The effects of age and context of acquisition. Language Learning, 58(3), 503–553.   10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2008.00449.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2008.00449.x [Google Scholar]
  34. Muñoz-Basols, J. , & Salazar, D.
    (2019) ¿Nos hacemos un/una selfie con la/el tablet? Cross-Linguistic Lexical Influence, Gender Assignment and Linguistic Policy in Spanish. Revista signos, 52, 77–108. 10.4067/S0718‑09342019000100077
    https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-09342019000100077 [Google Scholar]
  35. Othegy, R. , & Lapidus, N.
    (2003) An adaptive approach to noun gender in New York contact Spanish. In R. Cameron , L. López , & R. Núñez-Cedeño (Eds.), A Romance perspective on language knowledge and use (pp.209–229). John Benjamins. 10.1075/cilt.238.17oth
    https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.238.17oth [Google Scholar]
  36. Parafita Couto, M. C. , Deuchar, M. , & Fusser, M.
    (2015) How do Welsh-English bilinguals deal with conflict? Adjective-noun order resolution. In G. Stell & K. Yakpo (Eds.), Code-switching between structural and sociolinguistic perspectives (pp.64–84). Mouton de Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110346879.65
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110346879.65 [Google Scholar]
  37. Parafita Couto, M. C. , & Gullberg, M.
    (2019) Code-switching within the noun phrase: Evidence from three corpora. International Journal of Bilingualism, 23(2), 695–714.   10.1177/1367006917729543
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006917729543 [Google Scholar]
  38. Parafita Couto, M. C. , Munarriz, A. , Epelde, I. , Deuchar, M. , & Oyharçabal, B.
    (2015) Gender conflict resolution in Spanish-Basque mixed DPs. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 18(2), 304–323.   10.1017/S1366728916000572
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728916000572 [Google Scholar]
  39. Pérez-Pereira, M.
    (2009) The acquisition of gender: what Spanish children tell us. Journal of Child Language, 18(3), 571–590.   10.1017/S0305000900011259
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000900011259 [Google Scholar]
  40. Pérez-Tattam, R. , Ezeizabarrena, M. J. , Stadthagen-González, H. , & Mueller Gathercole, V. C.
    (2019) Gender assignment to Spanish pseudowords by monolingual and Basque-Spanish bilingual children. Languages, 4(3), 58.   10.3390/languages4030058
    https://doi.org/10.3390/languages4030058 [Google Scholar]
  41. Poplack, S.
    (1988) Contrasting patterns of code-switching in two communities. In M. Heller (Ed.), Codeswitching: Anthropological and Sociolinguistic Perspectives (pp.215–244). Mouton de Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110849615.215
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110849615.215 [Google Scholar]
  42. Poplack, S. , & Meechan, M.
    (1998) Introduction: how languages fit together in codemixing. International Journal of Bilingualism, 2(2), 127–138.   10.1177/136700699800200201
    https://doi.org/10.1177/136700699800200201 [Google Scholar]
  43. Poplack, S. , Pousada, A. , & Sankoff, D.
    (1982) Competing influences on gender assignment: variable process, stable outcome. Lingua, 57, 1–28. 10.1016/0024‑3841(82)90068‑7
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3841(82)90068-7 [Google Scholar]
  44. R Core Team
    R Core Team (2020) A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria. Retrieved fromhttps://www.r-project.org/
    [Google Scholar]
  45. RAE. Banco de datos (CREA) [en línea]
    RAE. Banco de datos (CREA) [en línea]. Corpus de referencia del español actual. Retrieved05/07/2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Roca, I. M.
    (2005) La gramática y la biología en el género del español. Revista Española de Lingüística, 35(1), 17–44.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Sarasola, I. , Salaburu, P. , & Landa, J.
    (2013) Egungo Testuen Corpusa. https://www.ehu.eus/etc/
  48. Soziolinguistika Klusterra
    Soziolinguistika Klusterra (2014) Euskararen datu soziolinguistikoen biltegia [Database for Basque Sociolinguistic data]. Retrieved22/01/2020www.soziolinguistika.eus/edb/index.php?erakus=aurkezpena
  49. Teschner, R. V. , & Russell, W. M.
    (1984) The gender patterns of Spanish nouns: An inverse dictionary-based analysis. Hispanic Linguistics, 1, 115–132.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Trask, R. L.
    (2003) The Noun Phrase: nouns, determiners and modifiers; prononuns and names. In J. I. Hualde & J. Ortiz de Urbina (Eds.), A grammar of Basque (pp.113–170). Mouton de Gruyer.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Valdés Kroff, J. R.
    (2016) Mixed NPs in Spanish-English bilingual speech: Using a corpus-based approach to inform models of sentence processing. In R. E. Guzzardo Tamargo , C. M. Mazak , & M. C. Parafita Couto (Eds.), Spanish-English code-switching in the Caribbean and the US (pp.281–300). John Benjamins. 10.1075/ihll.11.12val
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.11.12val [Google Scholar]
  52. Valdés Kroff, J. R. , Rooijakkers, F. , & Parafita Couto, M. C.
    (2019) Spanish grammatical gender interference in Papiamentu. Languages, 4(4), 78.   10.3390/languages4040078
    https://doi.org/10.3390/languages4040078 [Google Scholar]
  53. van Heuven, W. , Mandera, P. , Keuleers, E. , & Brysbaert, M.
    (2014) SUBTLEX-UK: a new and improved word frequency database for British English. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 67(6), 1176–1190.   10.1080/17470218.2013.850521
    https://doi.org/10.1080/17470218.2013.850521 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/lab.20016.mun
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/lab.20016.mun
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Basque; code-switching; gender assignment; production; Spanish
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error