This volume combines psycholinguistic experiments with typological
investigations in order to provide a comprehensive exploration of the
linguistic structure of verb-number agreement in bilingual speakers,
with a particular focus on the Turkish language. It takes as its
starting point the question of which linguistic structures pose
difficulties for bilingual speakers, and then proceeds to evaluate the
question by using the interface phenomenon of optional verb number
agreement. In doing so, this volume investigates how the bilingual mind
handles grammatical structures that demand high processing sources,
working towards a processing-based linguistic framework for the
bilingual mind.
Beginning with a thorough survey of the current research of the
interface phenomenon in the bilingual mind, the volume then proceeds to
present two separate studies on each linguistic interface type, namely
semantics-syntax interface and syntax-pragmatics interface, thus filling
a number of gaps in the bilingualism research with regards to the
interface phenomenon The results and conclusions of these studies are
then integrated with current knowledge and research from the field
within a theoretical and processing-based framework in order to explore
new psycholinguistic insights for the bilingual mind, specifically the
conclusion that the grammar of bilingual speakers is shaped according to
cross linguistic tendencies. Ultimately, it provides a unified account
and a comprehensive conclu
sion regarding the non-native-like patterns in grammar of bilingual
speakers. Serving as a fascinating and timely resource, Competing
Structures in the Bilingual Mind: An Investigation of Optional Verb
Number Agreement will appeal to bilingualism researchers, clinical
linguists, cognitive scientists, experimental linguists, and any
linguist specializing in Turkic or Altaic languages.
