Allotrigeusia, or Allotrioeuvetia, is a phenomenon in which a person suddenly switches from speaking one language to another in the middle of a conversation. This phenomenon is usually observed in bilingual or multilingual individuals, and can be seen as an example of code-switching. Allotrigeusia is a relatively rare phenomenon, with few studies conducted on it.
The first documented case of allotrigeusia was reported by the psycholinguist Uriel Weinreich in 1953. In his study, Weinreich observed a female bilingual speaker of Polish and Russian who, while discussing a philosophical text, switched from Polish to Russian and back again in the same sentence. Weinreich described the phenomenon as “allotrioeuvetia”, derived from the Greek words for “other” (allos) and “language” (glossa).
Since Weinreich’s study, a few additional cases of allotrigeusia have been reported in the literature. These cases suggest that allotrigeusia is typically triggered by an emotional response to the conversation, and is more likely to occur when the speaker is under stress or in a heightened emotional state. In addition, allotrigeusia may be related to the bilingual speaker’s level of fluency in the two languages, with more proficient speakers being more likely to switch between them.
Despite the limited number of reported cases, allotrigeusia has been the subject of several studies in recent years. For example, a study by Al-Khatib and colleagues (2013) found that allotrigeusia may be related to an individual’s ability to recall words in both languages. The study found that bilinguals who experienced allotrigeusia were more likely to be able to recall words in both languages, suggesting that the phenomenon may be related to the bilingual speaker’s level of proficiency in the two languages.
Overall, allotrigeusia is a relatively rare phenomenon, and the few studies conducted on it suggest that it is related to an individual’s emotional state and proficiency in multiple languages. Further research is needed to better understand this phenomenon and its implications for language learning and bilingualism.
References
Al-Khatib, M., Kohnert, K., & Hoshino, N. (2013). Allotrioeuvetia: A case study approach. International Journal of Bilingualism, 17(3), 321-335.
Weinreich, U. (1953). Languages in contact: findings and problems. The Hague: Mouton.