Towards the interpretation of single-word insertions in code-switching: Russian nouns in the speech of Albanians from Budjak and Priazovye

The article examines the use of Russian singular nouns in code-switching in the bilingual speech of Albanians in Southern Bessarabia (Budjak) and Priazovye. Based on the theoretical approaches to single-word insertions in code-switching proposed by Carol Myers-Scotton and Shana Poplack, we attempt to develop a framework for describing the inserted single nouns in situations involving interaction of two inflectional languages. Particular attention is paid to so-called “bare forms”, i.e. single-word insertions without morphological markers that allow them to be unambiguously identified as forms of one or another language. Analyzing the Albanian speech of bilinguals, we identify adapted and non-adapted insertions, as well as forms with matching morphological marking in Albanian and Russian. Taking into account the syntactic context, the latter forms are interpreted as adapted or non-adapted, or treated as default when they do not conform to the grammatical rules of both the Matrix Language (the Albanian variety) and the Embedded Language (Russian). By default, the nominative is used, which is perceived as the least marked form. We explain the default usages by arguing that in a bilingual utterance they are identified with nouns of other inflectional types, which in the same context are interpreted by speakers as adapted insertions (“pivot-matching” in the sense of Jaron Matras and Jeanette Sakel).