Citation:
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 …