A two‐step sociolinguistic analysis of code‐switching and language choice: the example of a bilingual Chinese community in Britain

Abstract

The main concern of this article is an analysis of patterns of language choice (at the community level) and of language mixing (at the interactional level) in a Chinese/English‐speaking bilingual community in the northeast of England. The social network concept is used as a tool for analysing both the informal social organisation of the community and the manner in which language choice patterns are related to the different types of social relationships contracted by speakers. Particular attention is paid to inter‐generational differences in both informal social organisation and language choice. The analytic framework provided by conversation analysis is adapted to illuminate code‐switching and language mixing practices at the interactional level, which is also seen as associated with inter‐generational differences in personal network structure. Finally, the relationship of social network structure with larger‐scale social and political organisation is discussed.