Analysis of code-switching in social media chats among english-swahili bilinguals a case of jamii forum
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Date
2017
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
This study was conducted in order to analyse code-switching (CS) in social media chats among English-Swahili bilinguals on Jamii Forums (JFs). The objectives of the study were: to analyse the patterns/ types of CS in the code-switched online chats as they appear on JFs, to examine the nature of the morphosyntactic distribution of the two languages involved in bilinguals’ chats on JFs, and to assess the functions of CS as seen in bilinguals’ online chats on JFs.
Data from JFs threads specifically on the platform of Urafiki, Mahusiano na Mapenzi (MMU) was collected via online observation and the linguistic corpus was coded, presented and interpreted qualitatively. As far as the research findings are concerned, it was found that the code-switches done by the bilinguals as they chat on JFs appear in two distinct types (patterns): namely Intra-sentential and Inter-sentential CS. It was also found that, there is an asymmetrical relationship between the two languages involved in CS. The Matrix Language (ML) which is Swahili in this study contributed the system or grammatical morphemes such as infinitives, subject markers, object markers, verbBE and adverbial suffixes as the morphosyntactic frame for content morphemes from English. The English language which is an embedded language (EL) in this context, contributed content words like verbs, nouns and a fewer adjectives that had to fit in the Swahili grammatical frame. Finally, it was revealed that, when bilinguals chat on social medial like JFs, they do so to perform several functions namely: elevating one’s status, emphasising a point, communicating friendship, filling in the lexical gap, introducing a special point, euphemising taboo words, reinforcing a request, and easing tension.
Description
Available in print form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF P115.3.T34M736)
Keywords
jamii forum, code-switching, english-swahili, bilinguals
Citation
Msovela, S. (2017) Analysis of code-switching in social media chats among english-swahili bilinguals a case of jamii forum. Master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam.