grammatical constraints and motivations for - University of the ...

also of the ways in which language can be used in order to evoke a shared
identity.
The host speaks mainly English to the second caller, who speaks ‘suiwer’
Afrikaans, as a means of either avoiding the embarrassment which could result
from his own linguistic inability or as a means of putting up a social barrier.
With the third caller, he avoids switching at the beginning, but then attempts to
evoke a shared identity by engaging in codeswitching. However, when the caller
continues to maintain a single language, the host reverts back to speaking mainly
English.
The host speaks mainly English to the thirteenth caller. This caller appears to be
an Afrikaans mother-tongue speaker, choosing to speak only English as a means
of conveying the upward mobility with which he wants to be associated. The host
does, however, engage in codeswitching, which serves a phatic function in this
context, as he changes the tone of the conversation.
The final caller to the show speaks only English up until the last few turns and so
the host does the same. It is only when she engages in codeswitching, that he does
the same. Thus, he takes her communicative preferences into account and
communicates accordingly.
The second data set therefore demonstrates the use of codeswitching as a means
of shifting the focus and tone of a conversation, but more importantly, it shows
how closely linked codeswitching and accommodation are. While codeswitching
may be a means of accommodating an addressee, avoidance on the same context
may also be required in taking addressee preferences into account.
In addition, codeswitching allows speakers to negotiate and portray a number of
roles and identities. By purposefully making certain linguistic choices, speakers
are able to manipulate their identities and thus elicit the responses they wish to
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