Contrasting Single-Word Insertions and Multi-Word Alternations in Bilingual Speech
Contrasting Single-Word Insertions and Multi-Word Alternations in Bilingual Speech

Summary/Abstract: Prominent sociolinguistic theories focusing on language mixing have proposed that the insertion of single words from one language into another differs from the alternation of multi-word phrases between two languages. This distinction is attributed to the morphosyntactic integration of single-word insertions within the surrounding language, which contrasts with the morphological independence of multi-word alternations. Despite its theoretical prominence, this distinction has not been systematically examined in the context of language comprehension. The current study employs pupillometry to investigate the real-time processing of single-word insertions and multi-word alternations in highly proficient Spanish-English bilinguals in Puerto Rico. By bringing together both sociolinguistic insights on language production and psycholinguistic evidence on language processing, we may show that the nature of contact between the two languages of a bilingual community and the creative abilities of individual language users together shape the patterns and processes of language mixing. A further limitation lies in the use of feminine determiner-English noun language mixes.

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