Identity construction through code-switching practices at a university in Pakistan
Code-switching can be used to express and create different meanings and ideologies, as well as different identities. Speakers can choose various codes in their linguistic repertoires to do these things. In academic settings in Pakistan, English is likely to be used with Urdu and regional langu...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2020
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16812/1/40391-143237-1-PB.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16812/ https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1356 |
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| Institution: | Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | Code-switching can be used to express and create different meanings and ideologies, as well
as different identities. Speakers can choose various codes in their linguistic repertoires to do
these things. In academic settings in Pakistan, English is likely to be used with Urdu and
regional languages, such as Pashto, resulting in the expression and construction of different
identities. In order to examine the link between code-switching and identity in a multilingual
academic setting, this paper examines the construction of identity that emerges from code-switching practices among a group of lecturers and students at a university in Pakistan. Data
were collected through recordings of interactions supplemented with semi-structured
interviews, which were then ethnographically analysed from a micro-macro perspective. The
findings revealed a seamless and dynamic use of code-switching, which was mainly in English
and Pashto. The fluid nature of the code-switching makes it seem as if speakers have developed
a different ‘language’ combining Pashto and English. Such use of code-switching reflects their
socialisation in a multilingual and multicultural environment, which in turn, has led to the
emergence of their hybrid identity orientations. The study contributes empirical evidence of
the link between code-switching and hybrid identities in a multilingual context. The findings
also imply that interactive practices should be examined from a dynamic micro-macro
perspective because changes in the social environment can affect the thinking, perceptions,
behaviours, and identity-orientations of the speakers. |
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