Case in Heritage Polish. A Cross-Generational Approach Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy of The Ohio State University By Izolda Wolski-Moskoff, M.A. Graduate Program in Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee: Ludmila Isurin, Advisor Leslie Moore Helena Goscilo Copyright by Izolda Wolski-Moskoff 2019 Abstract Nominal case morphology is often considered one of the most reanalyzed elements of heritage grammar (Benmamoun et al., 2013; Montrul, 2016). Several case typologies have been put forward to investigate which cases are more vulnerable in heritage languages. The two considered in this dissertation are based solely on the internal qualities of cases. Benmamoun et al. (2013) have suggested that structural case is better preserved than inherent case, whereas Laskowski (2014) has proposed that strong cases replace weak ones in the language of Polish heritage speakers. Neither of these approaches, however, has compared divergences between the speech of heritage speakers and the language of their parents. By analyzing patterns of case use in the language of two generations of Polish immigrants, this dissertation offers new insights into nominal morphology in the Polish heritage language. It also analyzes whether any of the proposed case typologies are applicable to heritage Polish. To gain a more comprehensive view of nominal case morphology in heritage Polish, the present study focuses not only on the internal characteristics of cases, but also on such external qualities as case markings. Conducted mainly in Chicago, the study investigates the case use and knowledge of twenty-five Polish heritage speakers, twelve first-generation immigrants, and a control group of twelve monolinguals from Poland. The results show that all oblique cases are preserved in the speech of the advanced heritage speakers, albeit occurring less frequently therein than in the language of the other two groups. The lower-proficiency speakers’ decreased accuracy, meanwhile, may signify that the grammatical systems of these speakers operate on the syntactic rules of the dominant language (i.e., English). Additionally, the results of the first-generation immigrants indicate that the frequency of oblique case use in their language is much lower than in the language of the control group. i To measure the use and knowledge of cases, the study employed three tasks: story elicitation (based on the picture book Frog, Where Are You?), elicited sentence completion, and grammaticality judgment. The results of the tasks indicate that heritage speakers’ divergent use of cases exhibits several tendencies: (1) reassignment of case functions, especially those pertaining to the genitive, (2) allomorphic reduction in cases that display more complex morphology, such as the locative and genitive, (3) overgeneralization of one post-prepositional case, and (4) substitution of the nominative for most oblique cases in lower proficiency speakers. Additionally, the results of the first-generation immigrants show that they use fewer oblique cases per clause than the control group. In particular, the two cases used less frequently by first-generation immigrants are the accusative and instrumental in so-called figurative functions. Most divergent patterns displayed by heritage speakers in this study apply to both case types suggested by the above-mentioned typologies. Therefore, the proposed case theories cannot predict which cases are more or less vulnerable. Instead, I argue that the patterns observed represent strategies used by heritage speakers to compensate for inadequate case knowledge and/or difficulty with case-ending retrieval, which also points to the role of cognitive economy. The patterns are different for various proficiency levels. Intermediate speakers tend to replace all oblique cases with the nominative, reduce case allomorphy, and/or rely on prepositions in case ending retrieval, whereas advanced heritage speakers tend to reduce case functions. Overall, the results of this study indicate that nominal morphology in the Polish heritage language is conditioned by the cognitive strategies heritage speakers use to maintain their language, as well as by divergent parental input characterized by less frequent use of some cases. ii Dedication: Moim rodzicom iii Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Ludmila Isurin. Without her guidance and mentorship this dissertation would not have been possible. I was very fortunate to have her as my advisor. She has been a great support in my academic journey, both on a scholarly and personal level. It was not only her patience, understanding, and knowledge that I could always count on, but also her belief in me, especially when I needed it most. My decision to pursue a PhD part-time was rather risky, and I believe that completing it would not have been possible if not for Dr. Isurin. She has never allowed me to focus on my little defeats but always encouraged me to see what is ahead. Also, I would like to thank my committee members, Drs. Leslie Moore and Helena Goscilo. They are luminaries in their fields, and I am forever grateful that I was able to work with them. Taking classes with Dr. Moore was a turning point in my life, because this is when I decided to pursue a PhD program. It was also in her class that I read research on heritage speakers for the first time. Dr. Moore is a very inspirational teacher, and I am very fortunate to have met her on my journey. I am grateful to Dr. Goscilo for many things. She has not only been a model of a great scholar and teacher for me, but also a kindred spirit – a ‘bratnia dusza’ with whom I could chat in Polish. My experience at the OSU has given me the best possible tools to begin a productive academic career. I am grateful to all the professors whose classes I have taken, especially in the Slavic Department and the Department of Linguistics. The challenging and thought-provoking iv discussions they encouraged have enabled me to grow as a scholar. I am especially grateful to Dr. Donald Winford, whose comments on the prospectus of this dissertation helped me develop a more in-depth analysis of the data I had collected. I would like to thank all those who helped me with the recruitment for this study. First, many thanks and warm thoughts go to my sister Iwona, whose energy and commitment were indispensable in finding participants in Poland. Next, gratitude goes to my colleagues from Chicago, Anna Szawara of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Bożena Nowicka McLees of Loyola University. They both made sure that students from their institutions responded to my email and that I had enough participants. Dziękuję bardzo! Also, many special thanks to WILA organizers and participants. Taking part in this workshop has enabled me to share my ideas with the wider heritage-language world. I am very grateful for their warm welcome and encouragement, and the opportunity they have afforded to meet so many scholars working in the heritage field. I am especially grateful to Dr. Joe Salmons, whose interest in my research has been very encouraging. Also, I would like to thank Dr. Mike Putnam for giving me further insights on the model that he co-authored. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for providing the support and encouragement necessary to continue with this dissertation. My parents, who are no longer here and will not be able to share the joy of a finished work with me, I thank for encouraging me to continue my education. I am especially grateful to my beloved mother, who made many sacrifices to put me through college. Last but not least, I would like to thank my husband Robert, who has been by my side all these years reminding me about the task at hand. v Vita 1995 B.A., Polish Philology University of Torun, Poland 1998 M.A., Polish Philology University of Torun, Poland 2006 M.A., Central Eastern European Studies La Salle University, Philadelphia PA 2008-2011 Lecturer in Polish University of Pennsylvania 2011-present Lecturer in Polish The Ohio State University Publications Wolski-Moskoff, I. (2018). Forms of Address in Polish Heritage Speakers, Heritage Language Journal Wolski-Moskoff, I. (2017). Teaching Polish in the US./Nauczanie Języka Polskiego w Stanach Zjednoczonych, in Bilingual and Bicultural: Speaking Polish in North America, ed. K Zechenter Fields of Study Major Field: Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures Tracks: Slavic Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition Specialization: Second Language Studies vi Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………….……………………………………………...i Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………..……iii Acknowledgments…….……….…………….…………………………………………………...iv Vita ………………..………………...……………………………………………………………vi Table of Contents ………………………….….…………………………………………………vii List of Tables ………………..…………………………………………………………………....x List of Figures………………………………..…………………………………………………..xi Abbreviations…………………………………………………………..………………………..xii Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 1. Chapter 1: Polish immigrants in the United States ..............................................................6 1.1 The History of Polish immigration .........................................................................................6 1.1.1 The Polish communities in Chicago .............................................................................11