Facets of the Concept of Syntactic Control of Matrix Language in Codeswitching Instances in Mwea East SubCounty

Kanyi Charles Mugo and Ngure Kenneth

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2017, vol. 7, issue 7, 179-191

Abstract: This paper focuses on the facets of the concept of syntactic control of matrix language in code switching instances in a multilingual society, that is, Mwea East Sub-County, Kirinyaga County where eight languages are spoken. Observations and Audio tapes were used to collect data in specific language domains. The data were examined within the sketch of Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Framework that deals with morphosyntactic frame of code switching instances. The result of the investigation established that code switching is a rule-governed linguistic behaviour and so has a grammar. The data shows that for a multilingual speaker, the process of alternating between two languages requires a nonrandom, sophisticated cognitive and linguistic manipulation of their languages. Thus, CS is systematic because each participating language is systematic, particularly in the ways that form-meaning sets are structured. This study hopes to provide insights on the code-switching phenomenon in a multilingual society. Additionally, the findings of this study will be of value for the development of code-switching studies in the sociolinguistic area.

Keywords: Code Switching; Syntactic Control; Matrix Language; Multilingualism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hur:ijarbs:v:7:y:2017:i:7:p:179-191

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