Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-25wd4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T01:28:03.065Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Code-blending of functional heads in Hong Kong Sign Language and Cantonese: A case study*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2016

CAT H.-M. FUNG  and
GLADYS TANG
CAT H.-M. FUNG*
Affiliation:
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
GLADYS TANG
Affiliation:
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
*
Address for correspondence: Cat H.-M. Fung, Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies, Room 104, Academic Building II, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kongcfungcslds@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In analyzing code-switching in spoken languages, Chan (2003, 2008) proposes that only functional heads with their associated language determine the order of the complement. In this paper, we examine whether Chan's analysis can account for code-blending in Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) and Cantonese by a deaf child (2;0.26–6;6.26) and three deaf adult native signers. HKSL and Cantonese differ in head directionality so far as the functional elements of modals, negators, and auxiliaries are concerned. They are head-final in HKSL but head-initial in Cantonese. The HKSL–Cantonese code-blending data in this study largely conform to Chan's analysis, where the order of the complement is determined by which language the functional head appears in. However, code-blending the functional heads of a similar category in both languages leads to either order of the complement. Also, the deaf child's apparent violations of adult HKSL grammar reveal crosslinguistic influence from Cantonese to HKSL during code-blending.

Keywords

code-blendingcode-switchingsign bilingual acquisitionHong Kong Sign Language (HKSL)crosslinguistic influence
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 19 , Special Issue 4: Cross-language Effects in Bilingual Production and Comprehension , August 2016 , pp. 754 - 781
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

The development of the Child HKSL Corpus was initially supported by the Research Grant Council (RGC Grant #CUHK4278/01H; Direct Grant #2081006). Subsequent developments of the corpus and research into HKSL–Cantonese code-blending have been supported by Dr. Alex K. Yasumoto's donation. We would like to thank the deaf children and their families for participating in this project; the Deaf researchers, Kenny Chu, Mila Lam, Stella Lee, Connie Lo, Pippen Wong, Anita Yu, and Brenda Yu, for collecting, transcribing and discussing the data with us; the hearing researchers, Felix Sze, Scholastica Lam, Joe Mak and Ada Lau for assisting in developing the corpus in its early days, and the staff at the Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies for their technical support. Finally, we are indebted to the critical comments of the editor and anonymous reviewers. Any remaining errors are our own.

References

Baker, A., & van den Bogaerde, B. (2008). Code-mixing in signs and words in input to and output from children. In Plaza-Pust, C. & Morales-López, E. (eds.), Sign bilingualism: Language development, interaction, and maintenance in sign language contact situations, pp. 1–28. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar
Baker, M. (2008). The macroparameter in a microparametric world. In Biberauer, T. (ed.), The limits of syntactic variation, pp. 351–374. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar
Benedicto, E., & Brentari, B. (2004). Where did all the arguments go?: Argument-changing properties of classifiers in ASL. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, 22, 743–810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bishop, M. (2006). Bimodal bilingualism in hearing, native users of American Sign Language. Ph.D. dissertation, Graduate School of Gallaudet University.Google Scholar
Bishop, M., & Hicks, S. L. (2008). Coda talk: Bimodal discourse among hearing, native signers. In Bishop, M. & Hicks, S. L. (eds.), hearing, mother father Deaf: Hearing people in Deaf families, pp. 54–96. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.Google Scholar
Bishop, M., Hicks, S., Bertone, A., & Sala, R. (2006). Capitalizing on simultaneity: Features of bimodal bilingualism in hearing Italian native signers. In Lucas, C. (ed.), Multilingualism and Sign Languages: From the Great Plains to Australia, pp. 79–118. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.Google Scholar
Boyes Braem, P., & Sutton-Spence, R. (2001). The hands are the head of the mouth: The mouth as articulator in sign languages. Hamburg: Signum.Google Scholar
Branchini, C. (2009). One plus one makes two but also one: Evidence for syntactic theory from cross-modal bilingualism. Presented at One Brain, Two Languages: Bridging Neuroscience and Linguistics on Intramodal and Cross-Modal Bilingualism, Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
Bernardini, P., & Schlyter, S. (2004). Growing syntactic structure and code-mixing in the weaker language: The Ivy Hypothesis. Bilingualism, 7, 49–69.Google Scholar
Chan, B. H.-S. (1992). Code-mixing in Hong Kong Cantonese-English bilinguals: Constraints and processes. M.A. dissertation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Chan, B. H.-S. (2003). Aspects of the syntax, the pragmatics, and the production of code-switching: Cantonese and English. New York: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Chan, B. H.-S. (2008). Code-switching, word order and the lexical/functional category distinction. Lingua, 118, 777–809.Google Scholar
Chao, W., & Mui, E. (1999). The forms of negation in Cantonese. In Sun, C. F. (ed.), Proceedings of the 10th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics, pp. 98–115. University of Southern California: GSIL.Google Scholar
Chao, W., & Mui, E. (2000). Clausal adverbs and clausal structure in Cantonese. Cashiers de Linguistique – Asie Oreintale, 29, 3–39.Google Scholar
Cheng, L. L.-S., & Sybesma, R. (2004). Postverbal “can” in Cantonese (and Hakka) and Agree. Lingua, 114, 419–445.Google Scholar
Cheung, L. Y.-L. (2005). Syntax and semantics of dislocation focus construction in Cantonese. M.A. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Cheung, S. H.-N. (1972). Cantonese as spoken in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Chomsky, N. (1981). Lectures on Government and Binding. Dordrecht, Holland: Foris.Google Scholar
Chomsky, N. (1986). Knowledge of language: Its nature, origin, and use. New York: Praeger.Google Scholar
Chomsky, N. (1995). The minimalist program. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Crasborn, O., van der Kooij, E., Waters, E., Woll, B., & Mesch, J. (2008). Frequency distribution and spreading behavior of different types of mouth actions in three sign languages. Sign Language and Linguistics, 11, 45–67.Google Scholar
Deuchar, M., & Quay, S. (2000). Bilingual acquisition: Theoretical implications of a case study. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Donati, C., & Branchini, C. (2009). Simultaneous grammars: Two word orders about only one morphology. Presented at 21st European Summer School in Logic, Language and Information, Bordeaux, France.Google Scholar
Donati, C., & Branchini, C. (2013). Challenging linearization: Simultaneous mixing in the production of bimodal bilinguals. In Roberts, I. & Biberauer, T. (eds.), Challenges to linearization, pp. 93–128. Berlin-New\sYork: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Emmorey, K., Borinstein, H. B., & Thompson, R. (2005). Bimodal bilingualism: Code-blending between spoken English and American Sign Language. In Cohen, J., McAlister, K. T., Rolstad, K. & MacSwan, J. (eds.), ISB4: Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism, pp. 663–673. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.Google Scholar
Emmorey, K., Borinstein, H. B., Thompson, R., & Gollan, T. H. (2008). Bimodal bilingualism. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 11, 43–61.Google Scholar
Fung, C. H.-M. (2012). Code-blending in early Hong Kong Sign Language: A case study. M.Phil. thesis, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Fung, C. H.-M., Tang, G., & Lam, S. (2008a). Code-switching in Hong Kong Sign Language. Presented at the 12th Symposium on Contemporary Linguistics, Hua Zhong Normal University, China.Google Scholar
Fung, C. H.-M., Tang, G., & Lam, S. (2008b). Code-blending in early Hong Kong Sign Language. Presented at the Conference on Bilingual Acquisition in Early Childhood, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Genesee, F. (1988). Bilingual language development in preschool children. In Bishop, D. & Mogford, K. (eds.), Language development in exceptional circumstances, pp. 62–79. Hove, UK; Hilsdale, USA: L. Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Genesee, F., Paradis, J., & Crago, M.B. (2004). Dual language development and disorders. Baltimore, Md.: Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co.Google Scholar
Huang, C.-T. J. (1982). Logical relations in Chinese and the theory of grammar. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology dissertation.Google Scholar
Kimmelman, V. (2012). Doubling in Russian Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands: looking for a unified account. In Proceedings of Israel Association of Theoretical Linguistics (IATL) 27, pp. 57–81. MITWPL.Google Scholar
Lam, W.-S. (2009). Early phrase structure in Hong Kong Sign Language: A case study. Ph.D. dissertation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Lam, S., Tang, G., Sze, F., & Lee, J. Y.-F. (2008). Word order and syntactic structure in Hong Kong Sign Language. Presented at the 12th Symposium on Contemporary Linguistics, Huazhong Normal University, China.Google Scholar
Lee, T. H.-T., Wong, C. H., & Wong, C. S. P. (1996). Functional categories in child Cantonese. In Lee, T. H.-T., Wong, C. H., Leung, S., Man, P., Cheung, A., Szeto, K., Wong, C. S. P. (eds.), The development of grammatical competence in Cantonese-speaking children, pp. 155–173. Report of a Project Funded by RGC Earmarked Grant.Google Scholar
Lee, Y. F. (2006). Negation in Hong Kong Sign Language. M.Phil. dissertation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Lillo-Martin, D., Quadros, R. M. de., Koulidobrova, H., & Chen Pichler, D. (2010). Bimodal bilingual cross-language influence in unexpected domains. In Costa, J., Castro, A., Lobo, M., & Pratas, F. (eds.), Language acquisition and development: Proceedings of GALA 2009, pp. 264–275. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Google Scholar
MacSwan, J. (1999). A minimalist approach to intrasentential code-switching. New York: Garland.Google Scholar
MacSwan, J. (2000). The architecture of the bilingual language faculty: Evidence from intrasentential code-switching. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 3, 37–54.Google Scholar
MacSwan, J. (2005). Codeswitching and generative grammar: A critique of the MLF model and some remarks on “modified minimalism”. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 8, 1–22.Google Scholar
Mahootian, S. (1993). Methods and procedures in sign language acquisition studies. Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University.Google Scholar
Matthews, S., & Yip, V. (2011). Cantonese: A Comprehensive Grammar. 2nd edition. London; New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
McLaughin, B. (1984). Second-Language Acquisition in childhood: Volume 1. Preschool children. Second Edition. Hillsdale, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Myers-Scotton, C. (1993). Duelling languages: Grammatical structure in codeswitching. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Myers-Scotton, C. (2002). Contact Linguistics: Bilingual Encounters and Grammatical Outcomes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nishimura, M. (1985). Intrasentential codeswitching in Japanese and English. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, United States.Google Scholar
Nishimura, M. (1997). Japanese/English code-switching: Syntax and pragmatics. New York: P. Lang.Google Scholar
Nishimura, M., & Yoon, K-K. (1998) Head directionality and intrasentential code-switching: A study of Japanese Canadians and Korean Americans’ bilingual speech. In Silva, D. (ed.), Japanese/Korean Linguistics Vol. 8, pp. 121–130. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications.Google Scholar
Ouhalla, J. (1991). Functional categories and parametric variation. London; New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Petitto, L. A., Katerelos, M., Levy, B. G., Gauna, K., Tetreault, K., & Ferraro, V. (2001). Bilingual signed and spoken language acquisition from birth: Implications for the mechanisms underlying early bilingual language acquisition. Journal of Child Language, 28, 453–496.Google Scholar
Pollock, J.-Y. (1989). Verb movement, Universal Grammar, and the structure of IP. Linguistic Inquiry, 20, 365–424.Google Scholar
Prinz, P. M., & Prinz, E. A. (1981). Acquisition of ASL and spoken English by a hearing child of a deaf mother and a hearing father: Phase II, early combinatorial patterns. Sign Language Studies, 30, 849–862.Google Scholar
Quadros, R. M. de, Lillo-Martin, D., & Chen Pichler, D. (2010). Two languages but one computation: Code-blending in bimodal bilingual development. Presented at Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research (TISLR) 10, Purdue University, Indiana, US.Google Scholar
Sandler, W., & Lillo-Martin, D. (2006). Sign Language and Linguistic Universals. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Stowell, T. (1981). Origins of phrase structure. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology dissertation.Google Scholar
Sze, Y.-B. (2000). Space and nominals in Hong Kong Sign Language. M.Phil. dissertation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Sze, Y.-B. F. (2008). Topic construction of Hong Kong Sign Language. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
Tang, G. (2009). Acquiring FINISH in Hong Kong Sign Language. In Tai, J. H.-Y. & Tsay, J. (eds.), Taiwan Sign Language and beyond, pp. 21–47. Chia-Yi, Taiwan: The Taiwan Institute for the Humanities, National Chung Cheung University.Google Scholar
Tang, G., & Fung, C. H.-M. (2009). Code-blending in early Hong Kong Sign Language. Presented at One Brain, Two Languages: Bridging Neuroscience and Linguistics on Intramodal and Cross-Modal Bilingualism, Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
Tang, S.-W. (1998). Parametrization of features in syntax. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Irvine.Google Scholar
van den Bogaerde, B. (2000). Input and interaction in deaf families. Utrecht, The Netherlands: LOT.Google Scholar
van den Bogaerde, B., & Baker, A. E. (2002). Are young deaf children bilingual? In Morgan, G. & Woll, B. (eds.), Directions in sign language acquisition, pp. 183–206. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van den Bogaerde, B., & Baker, A. E. (2005). Code mixing in mother-child interaction in Deaf families. Sign Language and Linguistics, 8, 153–176.Google Scholar
van den Bogaerde, B., & Baker, A. E. (2008). Bimodal language acquisition in KODAs. In Bishop, M. & Hicks, S. L. (eds.), Hearing, mother father Deaf: Hearing people in Deaf families, pp. 99–132. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.Google Scholar
Vinson, D. P., Thompson, R. B., Skinner, R., Fox, N., & Vigliocco, G. (2010). The hands and mouth do not always slip together in British Sign Language: Dissociating articulatory channels in the lexicon. Psychological Science, 21, 1158–1167.Google Scholar
Wong, C. (1998). First auxiliaries and modality in child Cantonese. In Matthews, S. (ed.), Studies in Cantonese linguistics, pp. 113–132. Hong Kong: Linguistic Society of Hong Kong.Google Scholar