On determining matrix language of code-switching between southern Min and Mandarin

This paper asks whether there is a universally applicable code-switching model. To answer this question, Myers-Scotton’s (2002) Matrix Language Frame model was tested with Southern Min/Mandarin code-switched data. The results showed that the two criteria (i.e. the morpheme order principle and the system morpheme principle) proposed to identify the matrix language in this model were found inapplicable. This is because Southern Min and Mandarin share most of their morphosyntactic structure and have a limited amount of inflectional morphology. To solve this theoretical problem, one supporting theory of the matrix language frame model (i.e. the uniform structure principle) and other possible criteria were also tested, but they were not successful. With the re-introduction of an additional criterion (i.e. the morpheme counting principle) to identify the matrix language, this study proposes a revised version of the matrix language frame model which was applied to re-analyze the Southern Min/Mandarin code-switched data. The results show that the matrix languages of 92.63% of the Southern Min/Mandarin bilingual clauses (340 in total) were unambiguously identified. This suggests that unlike the original model, the revised version of the matrix language frame model is able to cover a wider range of code-switched data (i.e. bothtypologically similar and different language pairs). With the empirical success of the original matrix language frame model reported in the previous literature and the success of additional principle proposed to particularly analyse code-switched data of a typologically similar language pair (Southern Min and Mandarin), this study argues that the revised version of the matrix language frame model is universally applicable.

提要:

本研究之目的在于寻找一个能适用于各种不同语言特性之语码转换 (code-switching)理论。为达此目的, 我们利用普通话及闽南话之语码 转换语料, 来测试 Myers-Scotton (2002)所提出的「主体语结构模式理 论 (The Matrix Language Frame Model)」。但测试结果发现, 该理论中 用来确认主体语的两项指标: 「词序原则 (the morpheme order principle)」及「系统词素原则 (the system morpheme principle)」皆无法 适用于普通话及闽南话的转换语料。由于此两种语言在句法结构上有 极高的相似性, 且在屈折型态学 (inflectional morphology)上的特性亦不 明显, 因而凸显出该理论无法处理句法、型态相似的语码转换语料的 缺陷。本研究尝试采用结构一致性原则 (the uniform structure principle) 及其他的替代方案, 但都无法有效确认普通话及闽南话转换语料的主 体语。因此, 我们在该理论的原有基础上稍做修正, 加入另一个确认 主体语的指标: 「词素计算原则 (the morpheme counting principle)」来 分析相同语料。分析结果显示: 在总数 340 个包含普通话及闽南话的 双语子句中, 有 92. 63%的子句之主体语能被清楚确认。由于现有的文 献指出, 原有的「主体语结构模式理论」已成功通过许多在句法、型 态上差异性大的语码转换语料的检测, 本研究所提出的修正版本更强 化了该理论, 使其亦能涵盖语言结构具高度相似性的语料。因此, 我 们认为本研究所提出「主体语结构模式理论」修正版本, 可适用于各 种不同语言所构成的语码转换语料。