CODE-SWITCHING IN WRITTEN DISCOURSES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SINHALA-ENGLISH HYBRID EMAILS

Abstract

Code-switching – extrasentential shifts transferring the focus from one language to another – is undoubtedly a characteristic of cross-cultural encounter: it is generally assumed in the literature that bilinguals mix their two languages to considerable degrees. Code-switching in its oral production has largely been researched, devoting attention to its grammatical patterns, structure and meaning, and the like. Nevertheless, very little research focuses on code-switching in writing, particularly on Sinhala-English shifts in written e-communication methods. The overall intent of this study was to examine the use of code-switching in emails employed by Sinhala and English bilinguals. The fourfold question aimed (i) to explore the frequency of code-switching in emails among bilinguals of English and Sinhala languages, (ii) to investigate the possible relation between code-switching and email recipients, (iii) to determine the possible correlation between code-switching and the subject matter in emails, and (iv) to explore the reasons and functions for code-switching in such emails. A questionnaire, a semi-structured interview, and a collection of emails were employed as research instruments in this exploratory study. Over 100 Sinhala-English bilinguals contributed to the questionnaire: while 20 of their emails were analyzed to triangulate the data, and 5 participants were interviewed to ascertain further the data collected. Data analysis was performed both on a statistical test called a Chi-squire test and an evaluation of the content of emails. Evidently, code-switching is highly frequent, and preferred to a single language, in informal emails. It entails diverse socio-cultural and linguistics functions in line with the social solidarity between the two users. English is used to a higher degree in code-switched emails than Sinhala despite the participants’ socio-cultural, educational, professional, and gender diversity. Code-switching in emails frequently constitutes a qualitatively better form of knowledge construction. Nonetheless, future studies are expected to gather a greater number of emails to enhance generalizability.