Channels, Fall 2018

Page 2 Spice • Codemixing Humran and Shyamala (2018) synthesize several viewpoints on CS and CM in the review of literature in their pilot study on CM. In this study, they found that some sources state that “CS is intersentential while CM is [intrasentential]” (Humran & Shyamala, 2018, p. 665); in other words, CS involves a language switch at a sentence or phrase barrier while CM involves two languages occurring within the same sentence (Casielles-Suarez, 2017). In Humran and Shyamala’s study, they also found that other sources give CS a broader definition that includes inter- and intra-sentential blending (Humran & Shyamala, 2018). Still, they say, others broaden CM to include CS, both inter- and intra-sentential (Humran & Shyamala, 2018). A small body of researchers view CS as conscious language blending while viewing CM as unconscious (Humran & Shyamala, 2018). For the purpose of this study, I will use the term CM, or intra-sentential CS, to refer to language mixing in a single sentence or utterance and CS, or inter-sentential CS, to refer to language switching at a sentence or clause barrier. The focus of this study is CM, also called intra-sentential CS. Purpose of CM Multilinguals and language learners code-mix for a number of reasons. Linguists have found some common themes in the various purposes CM can serve. CM “can be used to quote, emphasize, add another level of meaning, clarify or evoke richer images, add humor, irony or word/language play, mark closeness, emphasize bonds or, on the contrary, mark distance” (Casielles-Suarez, 2017, p. 154). The purposes for CM discussed in this paper are communicating more effectively, showing identity through language, supplementing one’s L2, and using L1 as scaffolding for L2. Effective Communication. The first reason why multilinguals code-mix is for effective communication (Ahire, 2015; Lu, 2014). In a study conducted on CM with the Marathi language, the author concluded that CM functions to meet the “expressive needs of the speaker and the communicative needs of the listener and the speaker both. Thus, code mixing specifies need-dependent forms and functions” (Ahire, 2015, p. 4). The speaker is looking for the best way to convey their message to the listener; often times with multilinguals, CM is involved in that process. CM allows speakers to be more precise in their language. It gives multilinguals a broader range of vocabulary from which to choose when searching for the most precise words to say (Casielles-Suarez, 2017). Hasan and Akhand (2014) agree that a noticeable reason for CM is better communication, and this applies to both children and adults. In a multilingual setting, CM is more convenient than restricting oneself to only one language (Daniel, 2016; Gilead, 2016). Situations in which such practice allows for better communication and more accurate language is when the speaker and the listener share both languages that are being mixed. One example of a situation where CM can lead to more effective communication is with Communities of expatriates. Communities of expatriates often share an L1 and have some knowledge of the language of the country in which they reside, therefore making it a common L2. Bilingual communities are also an example of a similar situation where CM can cause better, rather than worse, communication. In a bilingual city such as Brussels, Belgium, or Montreal, Canada, there are many people who share two common languages with which they can code-mix. A case in which CM would lead to poorer communication would be where the speaker and listener