This study examines preposition stranding (p-stranding) in Spanish-English code-switching (CS) among US heritage speakers of Spanish, focusing on whether the determiner or preposition dictates D-to-P incorporation. Using an acceptability judgment task with various prepositions and structures, preliminary results show that participants accept p-stranding in English but disprefer it in Spanish, with a preference for pied-piping. In CS contexts, participants favored p-stranding from Spanish-to-English, aligning with previous findings that the language of the preposition drives incorporation patterns.
Lingüística
Bilingual preposition-stranding acceptability in heritage speaker Spanish, English, and code-switching
Co-authored paper presented at the 4th Heritage Language Syntax Conference, Konstanz, Germany. [PDF]
This study explores the acceptability of preposition stranding (p-stranding) in intrasentential code-switching among US heritage speakers of Spanish, comparing its use in Spanish, English, and bilingual contexts. While p-stranding is allowed in English but not traditionally in Spanish, participants rejected p-stranding in monolingual Spanish and code-switching contexts, except for marginal acceptance in Spanish-to-English switching. The findings suggest that the language of the preposition, rather than the determiner, determines the possibility of p-stranding in bilingual code-switching.
Characterizing heritage Spanish speakers’ bilingualism: The role of objective, subjective, and language experience measures
Co-authored paper presented at Heritage Languages at the Crossroads (HL@C), Istanbul, Turkey. [PDF]
This study investigates how various objective and subjective measures characterize bilingualism among heritage Spanish speakers, aiming to provide a more ecologically valid assessment of bilingualism. Preliminary results show positive correlations between self-reported and objective proficiency measures, with objective measures being most strongly correlated.
The effect of lexical triggers on Spanish-English code-switching
Co-authored poster presented at Heritage Languages at the Crossroads (HL@C), Istanbul, Turkey. [PDF]
This study explores how lexical items, specifically cognates and culturally specific terms, influence the acceptability of code-switched sentences among Spanish-English bilinguals. Preliminary findings suggest that culturally specific words are rated as more acceptable in code-switched sentences than cognates. These results indicate that lexical item choice can impact code-switching judgments, potentially due to the cultural and identity significance of certain terms.
Inalienable possession in the Spanish-English code-switching of early and late bilinguals
This study examines how early and late Spanish-English bilinguals handle inalienable possession in code-switching, focusing on the syntactic divergence between the two languages. Results from production and acceptability judgment tasks show that bilinguals have a clear preference for English possessive determiners over definite determiners in mixed sentences, while both Spanish options (possessive and definite determiners) were accepted along side a strong preference for a preverbal clitic. The findings highlight significant variation in how bilinguals navigate this syntactic conflict, offering insights into the interaction between Spanish and English grammar.
Code-switching inalienable objects: Evidence from a Spanish-English acceptability judgment task
Paper presented at the UIC Bilingualism Forum, Chicago, Illinois. [PDF]
This study explores how bilinguals handle inalienable possession in Spanish-English code-switching, focusing on the interaction of possessive and definite determiners with clitics. Results from an acceptability judgment task reveal that participants preferred possessive determiners with English verbs and clitic + possessive constructions with Spanish verbs, though predictions were only partially confirmed. The findings suggest that while the verb determines the presence of a clitic, the language of the determiner does not fully predict the features of possession, highlighting the complex relationship between clitics and determiners in bilingual grammars.
Ella se mordió her tongue: Inalienable possession in Spanish-English code-switching
This study examines how bilinguals navigate inalienable possession in Spanish-English code-switching, given the syntactic differences between the two languages. Results from an acceptability judgment task and an elicited production task with heritage Spanish speakers show significant variation, with participants mixing possessive and definite determiners from both languages. Although a strong preference for preverbal clitics with Spanish verbs was observed, the Spanish possessive determiner was found to be just as acceptable as the definite in receptive tasks, suggesting English-to-Spanish influence affects code-switching patterns.
Differences in p-stranding in the code-switching of simultaneous and sequential heritage speakers of Spanish
Paper presented at Heritage Languages Around the World (HLAW), Lisbon, Portugal. [PDF]
This study investigates preposition stranding (p-stranding) in Spanish-English code-switching (CS) among heritage speakers (HSs) of Spanish. Results from an acceptability judgment task show that simultaneous HSs allow p-stranding in both languages and when switching in either direction, while sequential HSs only permit it in English and when extracting a Spanish determiner phrase (DP) from an English prepositional phrase (PP). These findings highlight a key grammatical asymmetry between simultaneous and sequential HSs, with implications for how bilinguals handle CS.
Preposition stranding in L1-English L2-Spanish code-switching
This study examines how Spanish-English bilinguals, specifically heritage and late L2 bilinguals, handle code-switching (CS) with adverbs, focusing on whether adverb position (pre- or post-verbal) affects acceptability. The results show that English adverbs are only acceptable pre-verbally, while Spanish adverbs are acceptable both pre- and post-verbally in mixed utterances, regardless of bilingual type. This suggests that bilinguals from different acquisition contexts adhere to similar structural constraints in CS, emphasizing the role of the adverb’s language in determining its placement.
Second-language writing in university-level basic language programs: A survey of student and instructor beliefs
Co-authored article published in Foreign Language Annals.
The majority of US university students studying foreign languages are enrolled in introductory courses that are typically part of a coordinated curriculum. Such courses conventionally include the assessment of second language (L2) writing skills. However, given that these assessments can be broadly conceived and vary by program, their design and implementation are subject to differing opinions and beliefs from the stakeholders involved. In an effort to better understand how their views of L2 writing assessments overlap and/ or diverge, the present study examined instructor (N = 28) and student (N = 183) beliefs in Spanish language programs at three public US universities using an online Likert‐scale and ranked‐choice questionnaire. Results revealed that although there was misalignment regarding the pedagogical purpose of such assignments, in general there was broad agreement among the two groups, including the use of a writing‐to‐learn approach to develop both specific and broad linguistic skills.
doi: 10.1111/flan.12609
