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

3. Codeswitching is useful in cases of uncertainty about relationships: it allows
speakers to feel their way and negotiate identities in relation to others.
4. “Marked switching may be used to increase social distance or to express
authority or anger.
Slabbert and Finlayson (2002) argue that codeswitching serves mainly as a means
of accommodation in a linguistically diverse society, particularly in townships
where there is no majority language. Further, Slabbert and Finlayson (2002: 245)
propose that a number of sub-functions are involved in the process of
accommodation:
1. Having an awareness of what the addressee prefers and switching
accordingly.
2. Establishing common ground, i.e. meeting the speaker halfway with
language.
3. A willingness to learn and experiment with other languages in the
communication situation even to the point of moving out of one’s comfort
zone.
4. Employing measures to make oneself understood.
5. Making adaptations on the variety continuum of ‘deep’ to urban.
According to McCormick, (2002a) conversational codeswitching is common and
appears to be a largely unconscious process and has a variety of stylistic and
pragmatic functions.
When a speaker does not know or cannot remember a word in one language, but
recalls it in another, the speaker may insert the word into the sentence as a
borrowed word or the speaker may use it as the first word in the language switch.
McCormick (2002b) argues that language shifts may signal shifts in focus, but
also allows speakers to incorporate idioms and phrases from another language.
Speaker’s choice of code is also influenced by the topic of the conversation, the
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