You switch I switch, Jack: On the role of interaction in Cabo Verdean language mixing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3765/plsa.v9i1.5699Keywords:
Cabo Verdean Creole, bilingualism, codeswitching, codemixing, language mixing, conversation analysisAbstract
This paper investigates the role turn-taking has in structuring language mixing practices in bilingual conversation. Previous research has observed that bilinguals prefer maintaining each other’s language usage e.g. Auer (1984: 28-29) ‘preference for same language talk.’ The present paper tests this hypothesis by exploring the language mixing patterns in the bilingual Cabo Verdean Creole (Kriolu)-English community in Boston. Two research questions drive the investigation: 1) How are bilinguals influencing each other’s language practices in an interactional context? 2) Are there observable contextual factors conditioning these interactional language practices? Four bilingual Kriolu-English conversations totaling 1.5 hours were analyzed focusing on the languages used at points of alternation between speaker turns. A quantitative analysis calculated the rate at which speakers maintained each other’s languages. Subsequently, a qualitative analysis explored possible contextual factors conditioning language change or maintenance. Results of the quantitative analysis show speakers have a broad preference for maintaining each other’s languages and the qualitative analysis supports that changing languages can be interactionally motivated.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Sophia Eakins
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Published by the LSA with permission of the author(s) under a CC BY 4.0 license.