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

6.0 Introduction
Chapter 6
Conclusions and Recommendations
This chapter discusses the main findings of the study and provides a summary of
the conclusions that were reached. Recommendations and suggestions for further
research are also provided.
6.1 Conclusions
The main purpose of this research was to uncover and analyze the motivations
behind codeswitching in bilingual speech communities in Cape Town, while also
providing a strong argument that codeswitching patterns evident in their speech
do not always correspond completely with constraints put forward by a number of
researchers.
The rationale behind this research was to explain why speakers engage in
codeswitching, while also evaluating contextual and situational factors that play a
role in encouraging speakers to switch languages. In addition, the study attempted
to investigate whether social motivations and grammatical constraints, emerging
from studies on recorded conversations, are applicable to codeswitching in the
context of a live radio talk show.
In terms of social motivations for codeswitching, my research was based mainly
on Myers-Scotton’s (1993a, 2006a) Markedness Model. The main assumptions
for the study were that codeswitching is socially motivated and that speakers
switch codes in order to achieve a range of communicative goals. These include
accommodating addressees, shifting the tone of a conversation, showing
deference, filling lexical and pragmatic gaps, and accessing a variety of roles and
identities.
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