It has now been about a decade and a half since the Internet and the World Wide Web have come to represent a major realm of research in various fields of linguistics. This is of course largely due to the fact that they offer easy access to a massive and unlimited amount of language data, which do not have to be transcribed in arduous ways as is the case with speech recordings. However, alongside this major cause of attraction, and despite the overall dominance of English, it is also the multilingual nature of the Internet which has naturally sparked the interest of bilingualism research as well as language contact research. It is the choice of and the switching between the available codes of the users' repertoires which mark a major topic of interest, and which shall be explored in the thesis at hand. The final focus of investigation will be the communicative functions and meanings of the phenomenon called code-switching (CS) as it naturally occurs in a Canadian-Croatian discussion forum.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CODE-SWITCHING AS A FIELD OF RESEARCH
2.1. The Object of Research
2.2. The Origins of Code-switching Research
2.3. The Research History
3. MAJOR EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORKS
3.1. Gumperz: Situation – Metaphor – We and They
3.2. Myers-Scotton and the Markedness Model
3.3. Auer and the Conversationalist Approach
4. LANGUAGE AND THE INTERNET
4.1. Computer-mediated Communication and Language Use
5. CS RESEARCH IN COMPUTER-MEDIATED SETTINGS
5.1. Paolillo and the Indian Diaspora
5.2. Georgakopoulou and Greek-English E-mail Discourse
5.3. Androutsopoulos and German-Based Web Forums
5.4. Hinrichs: English and Jamaican Creole in E-mail Communication
6. THEORY IN PRACTICE
6.1. The Corpus
6.2. The Users
6.3. Methodology
6.4. Analysis
6.4.1. Prior expectations versus actual language use
6.4.2. Conversational loci and linguistic structures susceptible to CS
6.4.3. Referential code-switching
6.4.4. Directive code-switching
6.4.5. Metaphoric code-switching
6.4.6. 'Poetic' code-switching
6.4.7. Expressive code-switching
6.5. Summary of findings
7. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the communicative functions and meanings of code-switching (CS) as it occurs in an asynchronous, computer-mediated environment, specifically within a Canadian-Croatian discussion forum. The research aims to bridge the gap between classic sociolinguistic theories of code-switching and the realities of digital communication by analyzing how diaspora users navigate their linguistic repertoires.
- Theoretical exploration of major code-switching frameworks (Gumperz, Myers-Scotton, Auer).
- Examination of language use and Netspeak within computer-mediated communication (CMC).
- Comparative analysis of existing studies on code-switching in diaspora-related online settings.
- Qualitative analysis of the "Croworld" corpus to identify specific functions of English-Croatian code-switching.
- Investigation of identity construction and social positioning through bilingual discourse in online communities.
Excerpt from the Book
6.4.4. Directive code-switching
A d d r e s s e e s p e c i f i c a t i o n by means of code-switching is a phenomenon which would seem specifically characteristic for face-to-face interactions. Asynchronous computer-mediated communication, although regarded as discourse, at first glance appears to be much less person-oriented than face-to-face conversations, which is partly due to a certain anonymity factor, and partly due to the fact that discussions differ in the degree of cohesion between postings, with some parts constituting collections of single statements rather than a discussion in progress.
Interestingly, my data nevertheless include a high number of contributions which exhibit an astonishingly specific tailoring to co-participants, especially so with regard to code choice. Depending on the conversational environments and the users involved in the discussion, there are instances of addressee specification through code choice which function as discourse-structuring devices, as well as others, which are more due to participant-related conversational procedures. Participant-related switches between posts occur most prominently with one very active homeland Croatian user, marusha, who was mentioned before. Whatever the base language of a thread, marusha always posts in Croatian. Most of the core users know of her preference and switch to Croatian when addressing her specifically. marusha's presence in a discussion on several occasions in the corpus triggers explicit sequences of language negotiation.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the research scope and the focus on code-switching within a Canadian-Croatian discussion forum as a case study for computer-mediated communication.
2. CODE-SWITCHING AS A FIELD OF RESEARCH: Provides a historical overview of code-switching as a research discipline, including early definitions and the evolution of the term.
3. MAJOR EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORKS: Discusses the seminal work of Gumperz, Myers-Scotton, and Auer, establishing the theoretical foundations for analyzing social and linguistic motivations for code-switching.
4. LANGUAGE AND THE INTERNET: Explores the characteristics of computer-mediated communication and the debate regarding the emergence of "Netspeak" as a distinct variety.
5. CS RESEARCH IN COMPUTER-MEDIATED SETTINGS: Reviews four significant studies on code-switching in diaspora-related online settings (Paolillo, Georgakopoulou, Androutsopoulos, Hinrichs).
6. THEORY IN PRACTICE: Details the compilation of the "Croworld" corpus, the background of its users, and presents a qualitative analysis of code-switching functions in the collected data.
7. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings, reflecting on the validity of classic models in digital settings and suggesting future research paths.
Keywords
Code-switching, Computer-mediated communication, CMC, Diaspora, Bilingualism, Discourse analysis, Interactional sociolinguistics, Markedness model, Online communities, Language alternation, Netspeak, Code-mixing, Identity construction, Croatian language, English language
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this thesis?
The thesis examines the phenomenon of code-switching—the alternation between two or more languages—within a computer-mediated environment, specifically focusing on an online discussion forum for the Croatian diaspora in Canada.
What are the central thematic fields?
The work integrates classic sociolinguistic theories of code-switching, research on computer-mediated communication (CMC), and the specific cultural context of diaspora identity and language maintenance.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine the communicative functions and meanings behind code-switching among Croatian diaspora users and to see if existing sociolinguistic frameworks can adequately explain these patterns in asynchronous online settings.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author combines quantitative corpus analysis (measuring language proportion) with qualitative, ethnographic-based discourse analysis, applying principles from interactional sociolinguistics, conversation analysis, and Myers-Scotton's Markedness Model.
What is treated in the main part?
The main part includes a rigorous review of explanatory frameworks (Gumperz, Myers-Scotton, Auer), a look at previous CMC studies, and a detailed analysis of the author's collected corpus, categorizing switches into referential, directive, metaphoric, poetic, and expressive functions.
What are the key defining terms?
Key terms include code-switching, interactional sociolinguistics, diasporic identity, computer-mediated communication, discourse-related code-switching, and markedness.
How does the author define the "we code" and "they code" in the context of the Croworld forum?
The author argues that in this diaspora setting, the clear-cut dichotomy between a minority language as "we code" and majority language as "they code" often fails, as English acts as a neutral base, while Croatian is used for specific acts of self-identification and social positioning.
How do the findings differ from earlier studies like Paolillo's?
Unlike Paolillo’s study of Punjabi users where the native language was largely restricted to symbolic/formulaic uses, the author finds that the Croatian users utilize their home language in a more extensive and productive way, even when English remains the base language.
- Quote paper
- Magistra Artium Hanna Devic (Author), 2007, Code-switching in computer-mediated communication - a case study of croatian-english discussion forums, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/115170
