Code-switching

It is quite commonplace for bilingual speakers to use two or more languages dialects or varieties in the same conversation without any apparent effort. The phenomenon known as code-switching has become a major focus of attention in linguistics. This concise and original study explores how when and where code-switching occurs. Drawing on a diverse range of examples from medieval manuscripts to rap music novels to advertisements emails to political speeches and above all everyday conversation it argues that code-switching can only be properly understood if we study it from a variety of perspectives. It shows how sociolinguistic psycholinguistic grammatical and developmental aspects of code-switching are all interdependent and findings in each area are crucial to others. Breaking down barriers across the discipline of linguistics this pioneering book confronts fundamental questions about what a ''native language'' is and whether languages can be meaningfully studied outside of the individuals who use them.