A decade following the Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Code-Switching conference, scholars working on language mixing have gathered in Cambridge for the promotion of the volume Current insights into code-switching, recently published by Language Science Press. The editing authors of the book, Dr. Draško Kašćelan (University of Essex), Dr. María del Carmen Parafita Couto (University of Santiago de Compostela), and Dr. Peredur Webb-Davies (Bangor University), were there to present their work in person, along with Prof. Margaret Deuchar (University of Cambridge), to whom the collection was dedicated. Authors of individual chapters in the collection presented their work either online or in person, allowing for a multi-national, collaborative discussion on topics relating to bilingualism, code-switching, sociolinguistics, language development and future directions.
The full programme of talks and speakers included:
- Supporting bilingual development through code-switching: Dual language use of a grandmother and an emergent bilingual child, Suzanne Quay (International Christian University in Tokyo)
- Code-mixing and language change: Evidence from Spanish nouns in heritage Piedmontese, Eugenio Goria (University of Turin) & Kate Bellamy (Leiden University)
- Cued gender assignment strategies and L1 effects in the acceptance of mixed Basque-Spanish DPs, Amaia Munarriz-Ibarrola (University of the Basque Country)
- Sensitivity to code-switching asymmetries in second language sentence processing, Jorge R. Valdés Kroff (University of Florida)
- Linguistic interaction in early bilingual development: A review of studies examining single- and mixed-language utterances, Marilyn M. Vihman (University of York; University of California, Berkley) & Virve-Anneli Vihman (University of Tartu)
- Code-switching by individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions: A scoping review, Draško Kašćelan (University of Essex) & María del Carmen Parafita Couto (University of Santiago de Compostela)
The launch was concluded with reflections and remarks by Prof. Deuchar, which opened a discussion about the current state of the field relating to code-switching, such as open data initiatives, future directions in collection and analysis of corpus data, marrying ecological validity with experimental practice, and other thought-provoking points.
The book launch was held in hybrid format at Little Hall on the Sidgwick site on the 26th of June, starting at 1 pm and concluding at 5 pm. Attendees broke mid-afternoon for refreshments, which were generously provided and hosted by Newnham College, University of Cambridge. The day concluded with dinner at the Millworks in Cambridge, where speakers and organizers came together to celebrate the success of the day’s events.
The workshop was organized by Draško Kašćelan (University of Essex), Margaret Deuchar (University of Cambridge), and Sarah Kaarina Crockford (University of Cambridge) and part funded by Cambridge Language Sciences IRC.