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Article published In:
Pragmatics
Vol. 29:3 (2019) ► pp.436–462

Tracing emergent multilectal styles

Forms and functions of code-switching among Ovambos in urban Namibia

ORCID logo | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
This study addresses the question of how focused code-switching practices can become. It takes two complementary approaches to determine sorts and degrees of focusing, namely, a sequential analyst perspective, and a holistic perspective involving general sociolinguistic data and member’s perspectives. The case study presented involves a multilectal interaction between urban speakers of Oshiwambo, the main ethnic language of Namibia, where it cohabits with English and Afrikaans, the country’s lingua francas. The analysis reveals a range of structurally or qualitatively distinctive CS patterns involving Oshiwambo (dialects), English, and Afrikaans, used by all participants. Mostly alternational CS and specific types of backflagging display sequential regularity, while other CS patterns seem randomly distributed, at first sight an attribute of ‘free variation’. However, the examination of social indexicalities attached to the observed CS patterns shows that they all contribute to the performance of a multi-layered balancing act between urban and ethnic authenticities.
Keywords: sociolinguistics, code-switching, language contact, style, Namibia
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Code-switching and style
  • 3.Oshiwambo speakers in the context of Namibia’s sociolinguistic ecology
  • 4.Sample and methods
  • 5.Variation in the data: A general perspective
  • 6.Sequential variation in CS patterns
  • 7.CS patterns as styles
  • 8.Discussion
  • 9.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.
Published online: 26 February 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.18002.ste
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