Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
Discussions concerning syntactic aspects of code-switching (CS) phenomena are currently ongoing. This thesis looks at two such phenomena, nominal ellipsis (NPE) and linear adjacency, and shows how...Show moreDiscussions concerning syntactic aspects of code-switching (CS) phenomena are currently ongoing. This thesis looks at two such phenomena, nominal ellipsis (NPE) and linear adjacency, and shows how empirical investigation of CS contexts helps inform linguistic theory. This was accomplished by presenting 23 Belgian Dutch/French (BD/FR) bilinguals with a two-alternative forced choice judgment task and comparing their choices through t-tests to check for significance. Experiment 1 examines whether the choice of grammatical gender on adnominal ellipsis remnants reveals a morphosyntactic link between a FR elided noun with a BD antecedent. The results show that no such link can be observed for NPE in this language pair; this is contra González-Vilbazo and Ramos (2015), Merchant (2015) and Nee (2012), who have found evidence of a such a link between elided elements and antecedent in code-switched clausal and VP-ellipsis, as well as general evidence against structural theories of ellipsis (e.g., Merchant, 2001; 2004). Experiment 2 explores the Matrix Language Framework (MLF) (Myers-Scotton, 1993; 1995), a popular model that predicts that the determiner language will match the matrix language (ML) in code-switched DPs. However, effects of linear adjacency between the determiner and the inflection on the main verb (which determines the ML) have not yet been considered within the MLF. The DP was given as a post-verbal complement (adjacent), and as a post-verbal adjunct and a pre-verbal complement (non-adjacent). The results show that linear adjacency has no effect on determiner language. Moreover, the results also do not fit into the MLF. This thesis is the first empirical study to examine NPE theory in a code-switched environment, as well as the first to investigate linear adjacency effects on code-switched DPs. This work also provides insight into CS patterns in the BD/FR language pair, a relatively understudied bilingual population that frequently employs CS but is not a close-knit community. Taken together, these findings show that gathering empirical CS data from distinct bilingual populations is crucial, adding new and contrary insights and aiding the construction of linguistic theory.Show less
In this thesis, I will research the frequency of English loan words in K-pop songs that were released between 2010 and 2021. With this research I will attempt to answer three questions. Firstly:...Show moreIn this thesis, I will research the frequency of English loan words in K-pop songs that were released between 2010 and 2021. With this research I will attempt to answer three questions. Firstly: Has the average amount of English words in K-pop songs increased between 2010-2021? Secondly: How can English loans in Korean be linguistically classified? Thirdly: Why has the use of English words in Korean increased, if it is the case that it did? The found loan words will be distributed into five different categories laid out in Grant (2019) and Kim (2012), based on the identifying linguistic features. Furthermore, I will attempt to provide a sociolinguistic explanation for the reasons for the use of English words in Korean. Both broad societal factors, as well as factors specific to the K-pop industry will be taken into account to arrive at a conclusion.Show less
