Bi-aspectual verbs in heritage Russian against the background of baseline language dynamics

Abstract Our study investigates language processing in mono- and multilingual settings, focusing on language dynamics in heritage Russian against the background of baseline Russian. In this context, we explore bi-aspectual verbs as an unstable part of Russian grammar. As verbs without morphologically marked expression of aspectual contrasts, bi-aspectual verbs represent a special case within Russian aspectual morphology and demonstrate significant variations in their monolingual use. Our study examines the use of bi-aspectual verbs in heritage Russian acquired as a home language in a multilingual environment in families with migrant background. In contrast to monolingual speakers, heritage speakers operate with polylingual variation, which can comprise single varieties within the same language or even two or more typologically different languages. These language variation mechanisms in heritage speakers represent notable specifics of their language use and the special dynamics of heritage Russian. Therefore, when comparing the use of a dynamic part of the language system, we aim to shed light on the analogous vs specific language processing in baseline and heritage Russian. Based on the elaborated production data, we test the use of ten bi-aspectual verbs in heritage speakers (N = 30) with high proficiency in Russian. The control group of the study was composed of monolingual Russian respondents (N = 30). By examining the use of bi-aspectual verbs in monolingual (baseline Russian) and bilingual (migrant heritage Russian) speakers, we focus on the question of the extent to which language dynamics in the core domains of the language system are either similar or dissimilar in heritage vs baseline language. In so doing, we further contribute to the discussion of the primary vs secondary role of the internal vs external mechanisms of language change.