Cover not available
Part of
Language Contact in the Territory of the Former Soviet Union
Edited by Diana Forker and Lenore A. Grenoble
[IMPACT: Studies in Language, Culture and Society 50] 2021
► pp. 289–314

Why do two Uralic languages (Surgut Khanty and Erzya) use different code-switching strategies?

| Universität Hamburg
| Ludwig Maximilian University

In this paper, we study the code-switching types occurring in two contact situations, in Surgut Khanty–Russian and in Erzya–Russian bilingual utterances. Using Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame Model (1993, 2002, 2006), we analyze the subtypes of insertion in narrative texts and semi-structured interviews. It might be assumed that the code-switching types would be similar in the two contact situations, as Surgut Khanty and Erzya share many structural properties (e.g. the lack of gender as a grammatical category). Our results show that most Russian elements do occur in both cases as insertions, but the distribution and frequency of these types differ. This discrepancy can be attributed to the history and length of the contact situations. Finally, we use Auer’s 1999 continuum model to portray these differences.

Keywords: Surgut Khanty, Erzya, Finno-Ugric languages, Uralic languages, Russian, code-switching, insertion, alternation
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The contact situations
  • 3.Structural characteristics of the minority languages involved
    • 3.1Surgut Khanty
    • 3.2Erzya
  • 4.Data and methods
  • 5.Code-switching patterns
    • 5.1One-word switches and short EL islands
    • 5.2Russian ML
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 18 June 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.50.10jan
References
Auer, P.
(1999) From codeswitching via language mixing to fused lects. Toward a dynamic typology of bilingual speech. International Journal of Bilingualism, 3(4), 309–332. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bartens, R.
(1999) Mordvalaiskielten rakenne ja kehitys [The structure and development of the Mordvin languages]. Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura.Google Scholar
Belicer, V. N., & Kotkov, K. A.
(Eds.) (1960) Voprosy ètničeskoj istorii mordovskogo naroda: Trudy mordovskoj ètnografičeskoj èkspedicii [Questions of the ethnic history of the Mordvin people: Works of the Mordvin ethnographic expedition]. Vypusk I [First edition]. Moskva: Izdatelʹstvo Akademii nauk SSSR.Google Scholar
Čepregi, M.
(2017) Surgutskij dialekt xantyjskogo jazyka [The Surgut dialect of Khanty]. Khanty-Mansiysk: OUIPIiR.Google Scholar
Csepregi, M., & Onina, S.
(2011) Observations of Khanty identity: The Synya and Surgut Khanty. In R. Grünthal & M. Kovács (Eds.), Ethnic and linguistic context of identity: Finno-Ugric minorities (Uralica Helsingiensia 5) (pp. 341–358). Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura.Google Scholar
EKM. (2000) = Cygankin, D. V.
(Ed.) (2000) Èrzjanʹ kelʹ, morfemika, valonʹ teevema dy morfologija. Vuzonʹ èrzjanʹ dy finnènʹ otdelenijanʹ tonavtnicjatnenʹ turtov [The Erzya language, morphemics, word formation, and morphology. For the students of Erzya and Finnish majors at the university]. Saransk: Krasnyj oktjabrʹ.Google Scholar
Erina, O.
(1997) Časticy v mordovskix jazykax [Particles in the Mordvin languages] (Unpublished PhD dissertation). Tartu Ülikool.Google Scholar
Ethnologue
(2018a) Retrieved on 10 July, 2018 from [URL]
(2018b) Retrieved on 10 July, 2018 from [URL]
(2018c) Retrieved on 10 July, 2018 from [URL]
Gavrilova, V. G.
(2012) Dublirovanie kak odno iz projavlenij pereključenija [Doubling as one of the manifestations of code-switching]. Finno-ugorskij mir, 3(4), 56–59.Google Scholar
(2013) Marijsko-russkij bilingvizm: Pereključenie i smešenie kodov [Mari–Russian bilingualism: Code-switching and code-mixing] (Unpublished PhD dissertation). Mari State University.Google Scholar
Gugán, K.
(2013) Aspektus és akcióminőség a hantiban (szurguti nyelvjárás) [Aspect and aktionsart in Khanty (Surgut dialect)] (Unpublished PhD dissertation). Szegedi Tudományegyetem.Google Scholar
Gugán, K., & Schön, Zs.
Forthcoming). 9.5 East Khanty. In M. Bakró-Nagy, J. Laakso, & E. Skribnik Eds. Oxford guide to the Uralic languages Oxford Oxford University Press
Gumperz, J. J.
(1982) Discourse strategies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hallap, V.
(1960) Mordva-vene segakeelsusest [On a Mordvin–Russian mixed language]. Keel ja kirjandus, 111, 220–223.Google Scholar
Horváth, L.
(2018) Aspect and code-switching in Udmurt: The case of the Russian infinitive + Udmurt kari̮ni̮/ kariš́ki̮ni̮ . In M. Kovács, U. Puura, & O. Tánczos (Eds.), Multilingual practices in Finno-Ugric communities (Uralica Helsingiensia 13) (pp. 77–111). Helsinki: Finno-Ugrian Society.Google Scholar
Janurik, B.
(2017) Erzya–Russian bilingual discourse: A structural analysis of intrasentential code-switching patterns (Unpublished PhD dissertation). Szegedi Tudományegyetem. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2018) Personal Archive Janurik.Google Scholar
Jordan, P.
(2003) Material culture and sacred landscape: The anthropology of the Siberian Khanty. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.Google Scholar
Kayukova, L. N., & Schön, Zs.
(2016) OUDB Yugan Khanty (2010–) Corpus. Text ID 1474, Zs. Schön (Ed.). Retrieved on 10 July, 2018 from [URL]
(2017) OUDB Yugan Khanty (2010–) Corpus. Text ID 1601. Zs. Schön (Ed.). Retrieved on 10 July, 2018 from [URL]
Keresztes, L.
(2011) Bevezetés a mordvin nyelvészetbe [Introduction to Mordvin linguistics]. Debrecen: Debrecen University Press.Google Scholar
Kovács, M., & Janurik, B.
(2018) Grammatical and sociolinguistic aspects of code-switching in Finno-Ugric languages. In M. Kovács, U. Puura, & O. Tánczos (Eds.), Multilingual practices in Finno-Ugric communities (Uralica Helsingiensia 13) (pp. 13–76). Helsinki: Finno-Ugrian Society.Google Scholar
Kreindler, I. T.
(1985) The Mordvinian languages: A survival saga. In I. T. Kreindler (Ed.), Sociolinguistic perspectives on Soviet national languages: Their past, present and future. (pp. 237–264). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lallukka, S.
(1990) The East Finnic minorities in the Soviet Union: An appraisal of erosive trends (Annales Academiae Scientiarum Fennicae, B-252). Helsinki: Suomalainen tiedeakatemia.Google Scholar
Matras, Y.
(1998) Utterance modifiers and universals of grammatical borrowing. Linguistics, 36, 281–331. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mosin, M. V., & Poljakov, O. E.
(1995) Mordovskie jazyki [Mordvin languages]. In V. A. Balašov (Ed.), Mordva. Istoriko-kulʹturnye očerki [Mordvins. Historical-cultural essays] (pp. 524–551). Saransk: Mordovskoe knižnoe izdatelʹstvo.Google Scholar
Mosina, N. M.
(2002) Èrzjanskaja rečʹ ot detej 3 do 7 let [Erzya speech of 3- to 7-year-old children]. Saransk: Krasnyj oktjabrʹ.Google Scholar
Muysken, P.
(2000) Bilingual speech: A typology of code-mixing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Myers-Scotton, C.
(1993) Duelling languages: Grammatical structure in codeswitching. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
(2002) Contact linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2003) Code-switching: Evidence of both flexibility and rigidity in language. In J.-M. Dewaele, A. Housen, & L. Wei (Eds.), Bilingualism: Beyond basic principles (pp. 189–203). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2006) Multiple voices: An introduction to bilingualism. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Nikolaeva, I.
(1999) Ostyak texts in the Obdorsk dialect [Studia Uralica 9]. Wiesbaden: Otto Harassowitz.Google Scholar
Pineda, D.
(2008) “Kuèssʹ ne polučaetsja sāmas, rūšas polegče” – Codeswitching on the Kola Peninsula. Poljarnyj Vestnik, 11, 47–62. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Potanina, O. S.
(2010) Vnutrennee pereključenie kodov v xantyjskom jazyke [Intersentential code-switches in Khanty]. Vestnik TGPU, 7(97), 102–106.Google Scholar
Potanina, O. & Filchenko, A.
(2016) Russian contact-induced innovations in Eastern Khanty. Tomsk Journal LING & ANTHRO, 2(12), 27–39.Google Scholar
Rueter, J.
(2010) Adnominal person in the morphological system of Erzya. [MSFOu 261]. Helsinki: Société Finno-Ougrienne.Google Scholar
(2013) The Erzya language. Where is it spoken? Études finno-ougriennes, 45. Retrieved on 9 July, 2018 from [URL]. DOI logo
Russian Census
(2010a) Retrieved on 9 July, 2018 from [URL]
(2010b) Retrieved on 9 July, 2018 from [URL]
Sarhimaa, A.
(1999) Syntactic transfer, contact-induced change, and the evolution of mixed codes: Focus on Karelian–Russian language alternation. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society.Google Scholar
Schön, Zs.
(2012) Personal Archive Schön ID023.Google Scholar
(2016) Personal Archive Schön ID231.Google Scholar
(2017a) Postpositionale Konstruktionen in chantischen Dialekten [Postpositional constructions in Khanty dialects]. Munich: Universitätsbibliothek der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität.Google Scholar
(2017b) OUDB Yugan Khanty (2010–) Corpus. Text ID 1607, Zs. Schön (Ed.). Retrieved on 10 July, 2018 from [URL]
Shirobokova, L.
(2011) Az udmurt-orosz kétnyelvűség [Udmurt–Russian bilingualism] (Unpublished PhD dissertation). Eötvös Loránd University.Google Scholar
Sovijärvi, A., & Peltola, R.
(1970) Suomalais-ugrilainen tarkekirjoitus [Finno-Ugric transcription]. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopisto. Retrieved on 28 March, 2018 from [URL]