Albert Backus
2021
Doreleijers, Kristel; Piepers, Joske; Backus, Albert; Swanenberg, Jos
Language variation in dialect-standard contact situations: Two cases from Brabantish and Limburgish dialects in the Netherlands Book Chapter
In: Kristiansen, Gitte; Franco, Karlien; Pascale, Stefano De; Rosseel, Laura; Zhang, Weiwei (Ed.): pp. 175-185, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston, 2021, ISBN: 9783110738513.
@inbook{Doreleijers2021,
title = {Language variation in dialect-standard contact situations: Two cases from Brabantish and Limburgish dialects in the Netherlands},
author = {Kristel Doreleijers and Joske Piepers and Albert Backus and Jos Swanenberg},
editor = {Gitte Kristiansen and Karlien Franco and Stefano De Pascale and Laura Rosseel and Weiwei Zhang
},
isbn = {9783110738513},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-10-01},
pages = {175-185},
publisher = {Walter de Gruyter},
address = {Berlin/Boston},
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Backus, Albert
Usage-based approaches Book
Routledge, London and New York, 2021, ISBN: 9781351109154.
@book{Backus2021,
title = {Usage-based approaches},
author = {Albert Backus},
editor = {Evangelia Adamou and Yaron Matras},
isbn = {9781351109154},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
urldate = {2021-01-01},
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address = {London and New York},
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Branets, Anna; Backus, Albert
In: Philologia Estonica Tallinnensis, vol. 5, no. 26, pp. 59-86, 2021.
@article{Branets2021,
title = {L2 knowledge facilitating L3 learning: the role of Russian linguistic factors in understanding of Ukrainian by Estonians: [K2 oskus soodustamas K3 omandamist: vene keele roll eesti keelt esimese keelena kõnelejatel ukraina keele mõistmises]},
author = {Anna Branets and Albert Backus},
doi = {10.22601/PET.2020.05.02},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
urldate = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Philologia Estonica Tallinnensis},
volume = {5},
number = {26},
pages = {59-86},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2020
Azar, Zeynep; Özyürek, Aslı; Backus, Albert
Turkish-Dutch bilinguals maintain language-specific reference tracking strategies in elicited narratives Journal Article
In: International Journal of Bilingualism, vol. 24, no. 34, pp. 376-409, 2020.
@article{Azar2020b,
title = {Turkish-Dutch bilinguals maintain language-specific reference tracking strategies in elicited narratives},
author = {Zeynep Azar and Aslı Özyürek and Albert Backus},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-04-01},
urldate = {2020-04-01},
journal = {International Journal of Bilingualism},
volume = {24},
number = {34},
pages = {376-409},
abstract = {Aim: This paper examines whether second-generation Turkish heritage speakers in the Netherlands follow language-specific patterns of reference tracking in Turkish and Dutch, focusing on discourse status and pragmatic contexts as factors that may modulate the choice of referring expressions (REs), that is, the noun phrase (NP), overt pronoun and null pronoun. Methodology: Two short silent videos were used to elicit narratives from 20 heritage speakers of Turkish, both in Turkish and in Dutch. Monolingual baseline data were collected from 20 monolingually raised speakers of Turkish in Turkey and 20 monolingually raised speakers of Dutch in the Netherlands. We also collected language background data from bilinguals with an extensive survey. Data and analysis: Using generalised logistic mixed-effect regression, we analysed the influence of discourse status and pragmatic context on the choice of subject REs in Turkish and Dutch, comparing bilingual data to the monolingual baseline in each language. Findings: Heritage speakers used overt versus null pronouns in Turkish and stressed versus reduced pronouns in Dutch in pragmatically appropriate contexts. There was, however, a slight increase in the proportions of overt pronouns as opposed to NPs in Turkish and as opposed to null pronouns in Dutch. We suggest an explanation based on the degree of entrenchment of differential RE types in relation to discourse status as the possible source of the increase. Originality: This paper provides data from an understudied language pair in the domain of reference tracking in language contact situations. Unlike several studies of pronouns in language contact, we do not find differences across monolingual and bilingual speakers with regard to pragmatic constraints on overt pronouns in the minority pro-drop language. Significance: Our findings highlight the importance of taking language proficiency and use into account while studying bilingualism and combining formal approaches to language use with usage-based approaches for a more complete understanding of bilingual language production.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Aim: This paper examines whether second-generation Turkish heritage speakers in the Netherlands follow language-specific patterns of reference tracking in Turkish and Dutch, focusing on discourse status and pragmatic contexts as factors that may modulate the choice of referring expressions (REs), that is, the noun phrase (NP), overt pronoun and null pronoun. Methodology: Two short silent videos were used to elicit narratives from 20 heritage speakers of Turkish, both in Turkish and in Dutch. Monolingual baseline data were collected from 20 monolingually raised speakers of Turkish in Turkey and 20 monolingually raised speakers of Dutch in the Netherlands. We also collected language background data from bilinguals with an extensive survey. Data and analysis: Using generalised logistic mixed-effect regression, we analysed the influence of discourse status and pragmatic context on the choice of subject REs in Turkish and Dutch, comparing bilingual data to the monolingual baseline in each language. Findings: Heritage speakers used overt versus null pronouns in Turkish and stressed versus reduced pronouns in Dutch in pragmatically appropriate contexts. There was, however, a slight increase in the proportions of overt pronouns as opposed to NPs in Turkish and as opposed to null pronouns in Dutch. We suggest an explanation based on the degree of entrenchment of differential RE types in relation to discourse status as the possible source of the increase. Originality: This paper provides data from an understudied language pair in the domain of reference tracking in language contact situations. Unlike several studies of pronouns in language contact, we do not find differences across monolingual and bilingual speakers with regard to pragmatic constraints on overt pronouns in the minority pro-drop language. Significance: Our findings highlight the importance of taking language proficiency and use into account while studying bilingualism and combining formal approaches to language use with usage-based approaches for a more complete understanding of bilingual language production.
Azar, Zeynep; Backus, Albert; Özyürek, Asll
Language contact does not drive gesture transfer: Heritage speakers maintain language specific gesture patterns in each language Journal Article
In: Bilingualism, vol. 23, no. 15, pp. 414-428, 2020.
@article{Azar2020,
title = {Language contact does not drive gesture transfer: Heritage speakers maintain language specific gesture patterns in each language},
author = {Zeynep Azar and Albert Backus and Asll Özyürek},
url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065062208&partnerID=8YFLogxK},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1017/S136672891900018X},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-03-01},
urldate = {2020-03-01},
journal = {Bilingualism},
volume = {23},
number = {15},
pages = {414-428},
abstract = {This paper investigates whether there are changes in gesture rate when speakers of two languages with different gesture rates (Turkish-high gesture; Dutch-low gesture) come into daily contact. We analyzed gestures produced by second-generation heritage speakers of Turkish in the Netherlands in each language, comparing them to monolingual baselines. We did not find differences between bilingual and monolingual speakers, possibly because bilinguals were proficient in both languages and used them frequently - in line with a usage-based approach to language. However, bilinguals produced more deictic gestures than monolinguals in both Turkish and Dutch, which we interpret as a bilingual strategy. Deictic gestures may help organize discourse by placing entities in gesture space and help reduce the cognitive load associated with being bilingual, e.g., inhibition cost. Therefore, gesture rate does not necessarily change in contact situations but might be modulated by frequency of language use, proficiency, and cognitive factors related to being bilingual.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This paper investigates whether there are changes in gesture rate when speakers of two languages with different gesture rates (Turkish-high gesture; Dutch-low gesture) come into daily contact. We analyzed gestures produced by second-generation heritage speakers of Turkish in the Netherlands in each language, comparing them to monolingual baselines. We did not find differences between bilingual and monolingual speakers, possibly because bilinguals were proficient in both languages and used them frequently - in line with a usage-based approach to language. However, bilinguals produced more deictic gestures than monolinguals in both Turkish and Dutch, which we interpret as a bilingual strategy. Deictic gestures may help organize discourse by placing entities in gesture space and help reduce the cognitive load associated with being bilingual, e.g., inhibition cost. Therefore, gesture rate does not necessarily change in contact situations but might be modulated by frequency of language use, proficiency, and cognitive factors related to being bilingual.
Zvyeryeva, Olga; Backus, Albert
Stereotyping language choice in times of conflict: Online Ukrainian discourse about the use of Russian and Ukrainian Journal Article
In: Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 340-364, 2020.
@article{Zvyeryeva2020,
title = {Stereotyping language choice in times of conflict: Online Ukrainian discourse about the use of Russian and Ukrainian},
author = {Olga Zvyeryeva and Albert Backus},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
urldate = {2020-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices},
volume = {1},
number = {2},
pages = {340-364},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Verhagen, Véronique; Mos, Maria; Schilperoord, Joost; Backus, Albert
Variation is information: Analyses of variation across items, participants, time, and methods in metalinguistic judgment data Journal Article
In: Linguistics, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 37-81, 2020.
@article{Verhagen2020,
title = {Variation is information: Analyses of variation across items, participants, time, and methods in metalinguistic judgment data},
author = {Véronique Verhagen and Maria Mos and Joost Schilperoord and Albert Backus},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
urldate = {2020-01-01},
journal = {Linguistics},
volume = {58},
number = {1},
pages = {37-81},
abstract = {In a usage-based framework, variation is part and parcel of our linguistic experiences, and therefore also of our mental representations of language. In this paper, we bring attention to variation as a source of information. Instead of discarding variation as mere noise, we examine what it can reveal about the representation and use of linguistic knowledge. By means of metalinguistic judgment data, we demonstrate how to quantify and interpret four types of variation: variation across items, participants, time, and methods. The data concern familiarity ratings assigned by 91 native speakers of Dutch to 79 Dutch prepositional phrases such as in de tuin ‘in the garden’ and rond de ingang ‘around the entrance’. Participants performed the judgment task twice within a period of one to two weeks, using either a 7-point Likert scale or a Magnitude Estimation scale. We explicate the principles according to which the different types of variation can be considered information about mental representation, and we show how they can be used to test hypotheses regarding linguistic representations.
},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In a usage-based framework, variation is part and parcel of our linguistic experiences, and therefore also of our mental representations of language. In this paper, we bring attention to variation as a source of information. Instead of discarding variation as mere noise, we examine what it can reveal about the representation and use of linguistic knowledge. By means of metalinguistic judgment data, we demonstrate how to quantify and interpret four types of variation: variation across items, participants, time, and methods. The data concern familiarity ratings assigned by 91 native speakers of Dutch to 79 Dutch prepositional phrases such as in de tuin ‘in the garden’ and rond de ingang ‘around the entrance’. Participants performed the judgment task twice within a period of one to two weeks, using either a 7-point Likert scale or a Magnitude Estimation scale. We explicate the principles according to which the different types of variation can be considered information about mental representation, and we show how they can be used to test hypotheses regarding linguistic representations.
2019
Zenner, Eline; Backus, Albert; Winter-Froemel, Esme
Cognitive Contact Linguistics. Placing usage, meaning and mind at the core of contact-induced variation and change. Journal Article
In: 2019, ISBN: 9783110616781.
@article{Zenner2019,
title = {Cognitive Contact Linguistics. Placing usage, meaning and mind at the core of contact-induced variation and change.},
author = {Eline Zenner and Albert Backus and Esme Winter-Froemel},
editor = {Eline Zenner and Albert Backus and Esme Winter-Froemel},
isbn = {9783110616781},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
urldate = {2019-01-01},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}