A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF CODE_SWITCHING AND CODE-MIXING AMONG YORUBA-ENGLISH SPEAKERS

ABSTRACT

This project examines how code‐switching and code-mixing functions in conversation.Using data from the recordings of spontaneous conversation among educated Yoruba/English bilinguals speakers in Nigeria, the project argues that although on the surface code‐switching/mixing may appear due to stylistic reasons, but the true fact is code‐switching/mixing is used to encode social meanings. Such meanings are not directly recoverable from the content of what is said alone, but through an interplay of the languages used, the relationship among the interlocutors, as well as social and background knowledge about the society. The project concluded by suggesting that, in itself, the fact that code‐switching/mixing lead subtlety to what is said is a significant factor for the maintenance of bilingualism in the community. The method used for collection of data for this study is qualitative method, which involve the use of participant observation, observing interlocutor in dialogical conversation and also an audio recording unnoticed by the speakers. Dell Hymes (1964) Ethnography of Communication (E.O.C) theoretical approach was considered as a better theory for this research, where Analysis were done on the data collected for this study.