Coactivation in bilingual grammars: A computational account of code mixing

TLDR

Bilingual language processing is fundamentally non‑selective, with simultaneous graded co‑activation of both languages, and grammatical principles critically shape code‑switching and code‑mixing phenomena. The study aims to integrate the non‑selective co‑activation theory of bilingualism with grammatical constraints on code‑switching using Gradient Symbolic Computation. Using Gradient Symbolic Computation, the authors formalize the interaction between grammatical principles and gradient mental representations and apply this model to code‑mixing constructions. Applying the framework to code‑mixing utterances demonstrates its capacity to capture bilingual co‑activation and highlights directions for future research.

Abstract

A large body of research into bilingualism has revealed that language processing is fundamentally non-selective; there is simultaneous, graded co-activation of mental representations from both of the speakers’ languages. An equally deep tradition of research into code switching/mixing has revealed the important role that grammatical principles play in determining the nature of bilingual speech. We propose to integrate these two traditions within the formalism of Gradient Symbolic Computation. This allows us to formalize the integration of grammatical principles with gradient mental representations. We apply this framework to code mixing constructions where an element of an intended utterance appears in both languages within a single utterance and discuss the directions it suggests for future research.