Codeswitching in Igbo-English bilingualism : a Matrix Language Frame account / Kelechukwu Ihemere.

"Codeswitching occurs when multilingual speakers embed elements of more than one language into the dominant (or Matrix) language within individual utterances of conversation. Igbo-English Bilingualism explores the syntax of bilingual codeswitching between the Benue-Congo African language of Igbo and English. Within the framework of Myers-Scotton's highly influential Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model, Kelechukwu Ihemere explores the notion of asymmetry in Igbo-English codeswitching, arguing that the two languages do not contribute equally in the creation of mixed utterances. In the abstract interaction between the two grammars, the Matrix language is more activated than the Embedded language, resulting in either monolingual Igbo discourse or discourse with an Igbo morphosyntactic frame but with English insertions. Using both linguistic and quantitative analyses, this book uniquely investigates the governing principles and restrictions on bilingual clauses and grammatical codeswitching in the context of a West African language and English. Providing a detailed descriptive and theoretical investigation of Igbo-English data and a deeper analysis of the MLF model, this book will be of interest to anyone working in the fields of comparative syntax, bilingualism and contact linguistics"-- Provided by publisher

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Cover page; Halftitle page; Series page; Title page; Copyright page; Dedication; Contents; Figures; Tables; Preface; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations and Symbols; 1 Introduction; 1.1 The linguistic dimension; 1.2 The sociolinguistic dimension; 1.3 Grammatical studies of codeswitching in West Africa; 1.4 Context of the research; 1.5 Aims and organization of the book; 2 Studying the Grammar of Codeswitching; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 The Equivalence Constraint; 2.3 The Free Morpheme Constraint; 2.4 The Government Constraint; 2.5 The Functional Head Constraint; 2.6 The Minimalist Approach.

2.7 Conclusion3 Theoretical Framework; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 The Matrix Language Frame model; 3.3 The role of congruence in codeswitching; 3.4 Conclusion; 4 Comparison of Aspects of Igbo and English Grammars; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Igbo orthography; 4.3 Morphophonology; 4.4 Lexical and grammatical categories; 4.5. Conclusion; 5 Methodology; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Sampling procedure; 5.3 Data collection strategy; 5.4 Unit of analysis; 5.5 Igbo-English: Codeswitching or borrowing?; 5.6 The bilingual data; 5.7 Conclusion; 6 Embedded Language Single Words: Nouns and Adjectives; 6.1 Introduction.

6.2 Testing the Matrix Language Principle6.3 Quantitative analysis; 6.4 Summary and conclusion; 7 Embedded Language Single Words: Verbs; 7.1 Introduction; 7.2 Insertion by verbal infl ectional morphology; 7.3 Insertion by PSC and verbal infl ectional morphology; 7.4 Vowel harmony between EL verbs and ML bound morphemes; 7.5 Bare EL verbs in Igbo-English codeswitching; 7.6 Quantitative analysis; 7.7 Summary and conclusion; 8 Embedded Language Islands; 8.1 Introduction; 8.2 Internal EL islands; 8.3 Non-internal EL islands; 8.4 Testing the AP; 8.5 The USP; 8.6 Motivations for EL islands.

8.7 Summary and conclusion9 Concluding Remarks and Implications; 9.1 The goal; 9.2 Igbo-English codeswitching and other classic cases; 9.3 Igbo-English: some problematic examples and suggested solutions; 9.4 The codeswitching versus borrowing debate; 9.5 Conclusion; APPENDIX A Sample Interview Protocol; APPENDIX B Summary of Findings from the Interview Protocol; Notes; References; Index.

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