1. Corpus-based analysis of language
contact phenomena: first remarks on
code mixing in an Italian-German
corpus in South Tyrol
ICLaVE 7 | Trondheim, 28.06.2013
Simone Ciccolone (Free University of Bozen/Bolzano)

2. Types of recordings
Type
Recordings
Time
Spontaneous
Interview
Map Task
29
4
16
9 h 47’
51’
4 h 42’
Total
49
15 h 20’
49 audio recordings
41 transcribed
31 transcribed & tagged (POS/language)

3. Transcription & Tagging

4. % of German speakers
0-10%
10-40%
Fortezza
40-70%
70-100%
Ladin Valleys
Merano
Bolzano
“Bassa Atesina”
Historical area of contact: Bassa Atesina

5. Transcribed & tagged recordings
Type
Recordings
Time
Spontaneous
Map Task
24
7
8 h 30’
1 h 26’
Total
31
9 h 56’

6. Overall presence of the different languages in the corpus
“Language” tag
N. of words
%
d (German dialect)
i (Italian)
t (Trentino)
l (Ladin)
np (Proper nouns)
Interjections/Filled pauses
Others*
72762
3206
1204
134
919
2267
982
89,3%
3,9%
1,5%
0,2%
1,1%
2,8%
1,2%
Total
81474 words
*Loans (words and locutions in English,
French etc.) / Uncertain
5,6%

7. Frequency of code mixing in the corpus
Utterances
N
%
monolingual utterances
code-mixed utterances
14461
826
95%
5%
Total
15287 utterances
Words in...
N
%
monolingual utterances
code-mixed utterances
73230
8244
90%
10%
Total
81474 words

8. the direction of intrasentential switching from the
highly activated code at a certain point of the
interaction to the less activated code
(which appears in the same conversational turn)
Directionality

9. Nested insertion (D>T)
iå i wåas schun dass du so an
IMBRIAGONA
bisch
Yeah I know that you [are] a
drunkard
<– are
D (German dialect)
> T (Trentino)
D
From the highly activated code to the code of the nested switch
D>T
Directionality: nested insertions

10. Alternation (D>I)
gäats glab i nimmår # che paga # guardavan tutti bundesliga eh
it goes that, I think, no one
who pays
D (German dialect)
and they were all watching Bundesliga
> I (Italian)
isch schon schön dai
but it’s nice
D (German dialect)
isn’t it?
> I (Italian)
Single-word switch at the end of the utterance (D>I)
Directionality: alternations/switches at the end

11. S1
lang
S3
lang
S1
dai
i
vei bom
t
t
särwus
d
na
d
dai
i
kimmp år auår?
d
d d
iå
d
dai
i
vei mona
t
t
which directionality?
Directionality: switches at the beginning

12. S2
lang
i tat haint no a word datai unt når måchmårs
d d
d
d d np
d
d
d
d
S1
lang
iå oke >
d inter
S2
lang
dai
S1
lang
iå obår häl måchmår iaz schun no epes
d d
d
d
d
d
d d
i
isolated single-word switch at the beginning
of the utterance (D>I)
unt iaz isch souwisou lai mår a hålbä schtund
d
d
d
d
d
d
d d
d
Directionality: switches at the beginning

13. Directionality and extension of the switches
Extension of the switch
Singleitem
Multiitem
Both
Total
562
41
92
44
11
1
665
86
Bidirectional
1
18
21
40
No clear directionality*
-
-
-
35
604
154
33
826
Directionality
German > Italian/Trent.
Italian/Trent. > German
Total
*Single-item switches at the beginning of an utterance not preceded by full
constituents in the same code of the rest of the utterance

14. POS of single-item switches
D>I/T
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
Conjunctions
Interjections
Function words*
Others
Total
I/T>D
185
15
23
28
99
187
11
14
562
6
3
1
7
3
12
5
4
41
*Pronouns, prepositions and articles

15. dår acquisto
des iaarhundårts wor des °wail i glab°
D
D
the
purchase
>I
of the century was it, because I think...
wänn lai ba åan turnir uanänainzig mille
gekreg håt
D (German dialect)
D (German dialect)
if in one turn only [they] 91
thousand
> I (Italian)
reached
häl glabi
magaari war net bäas
iå obår nimm tipo
D
>I
D
that, I think,
maybe
was not bad
D
yes, but take
for instance...
>I
Single-item insertions: content words vs. discourse markers

16. Typology of single-item switches
Prototypical insertion
“Peripheral” insertion
(selected, content words)
(connectives/discourse markers)
D>I/T I/T>D
Nouns
Adjectives
Verbs
Total
185
23
15
223
6
1
3
10
D>I/T I/T>D
Adverbs*
Conjunctions
Interjections
Total
28
99
187
314
* magari, cioè, ecco, infatti...
7
3
12
22

17. Content word
insertion
Discourse marker
insertion
Noun
Interj.
Two types of insertion

18. Starting POS of multi-item switches
D>I/T
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
Conjunctions
Interjections
Function words*
Others
Total
I/T>D
19
11
6
6
21
7
16
6
92
2
13
1
4
5
2
15
2
44
*Pronouns, prepositions and articles

19. Types of multi-item switches
gäats glab i nimmår # che paga # guardavan tutti bundesliga eh
it goes that, I think, no one
D
tomatn wåas i net
tomatoes, I don’t know
D
e insomma #
and then, well,
I
who pays
>I
non mi ricordo più se mi piaceva
I don’t remember if I liked it
>I
du muasch dänkn dår bruadår
you should think, the brother...
>D
però appena che è a scuola
but as soon as she is at school
I
and they were all watching Bundesliga
wenn si untårrichtät
when she teaches
>D
Alternations

20. Types of multi-item switches
draizän # beh mit
schpese di trasporto
sächzän
du muasch a
storia tragica
dårzeeln
thirteen - well, with
D
you have to [tell] a
D
shipping fees
> I (trigger effect?)
tragic story
>I
sixteen
D
<- tell
D
Multi-word insertions

21. ma in leschtår zait hån i gedächtnislükkn ma di brutto proprio
but
lately I have lapses of memory
but
I
>D
really bad
>I
“Ma”: insertion or alternation trigger?

22. ★ Corpus-based analysis > cluster of phenomena
★ Frequency > clue of an emerging innovation
★ Area of transition between insertion and
alternation
Final remarks

23. Thank you for your attention
ICLaVE 7 | Trondheim, 28.06.2013
Simone Ciccolone (Free University of Bozen/Bolzano)