Study Of Chinese-English Code-switching In Chinese Micro-Blog

Code-switching is the result of communicators’choosing language varieties in order to satisfy their communicative needs. It is one of the principal aspects of sociolinguistics through all ages. Since 1970s, lots of scholars have done researches on code-switching from diverse perspectives such as sociolinguistics, pragmatics, applied linguistics, and cognitive linguistics.Adopting both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the author in this thesis aimed to explore the structural features and functions of Chinese/English code-switching, especially the intra-sentential code-switching in Sina Micro-Blog. Altogether,2000 pieces of Micro-Blogs were selected from a relatively new and popular netizen platform Sina Micro-Blog. To help guide the data analysis, the author has integrated a theoretical framework, combining Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame Model (MLF) and Yu Guodong’s Adaptation Model.The data analysis has suggested the following four research findings:(1) a high ratio (i.e.,2:1) between intra-sentential code-switching and inter-sentential code-switching was revealed, maybe it is related to the user’s English proficiency; (2) the morphosyntactic features of the intra-sententially switched sentence are summarized:the category of linguistic units is widely from the smallest letter to sentence. Among those different linguistic units, the frequency of English words ranks the highest, among which noun is obviously predominant; (3) as to the grammatical constraints on intra-sentential code-switching, which can be explained by Myers-Scotton’s MLF model. The intra-sentential code-switching is not the arbitrary substitution of two languages, but is regulated by strict and systematic morphosyntactic rules. To be specific, the grammatical construction of the Chinese and English constituents are constrained by the ML (Matrix Language) Chinese. However, a correct EL (Embedded Language) islands still comply with English grammatical rules; besides the EL islands, the paradigmatic changes of other constitutes in code-switching sentences are still constrained by the ML Chinese. (4) by using Yu’s Adaptation Model, the author finds that code-switching acts as a strategy to help Micro-Blog writers achieve their various kinds of communicative purposes:the adaptation to the linguistic reality with an aim to fill some lexical and semantic gap between Chinese and English; the adaptation to the social conventions intended to maintain good image; and the adaptation to psychological motivations with a purpose to perform functions.The findings of the study have both theoretical significance and practical implications. Theoretically, this study has provided pragmatic evidence to confirm the interpretability of Myers-Scotton’s MLF model and Yu’s Adaptation Model. In practice, the study has provided insight into language policy and language planning in China as well as people who teach and learn English.As the study conducts an exploratory research of Chinese/English code-switching in Sina Micro-Blog, some limitations such as the superficial analysis of Internet slang, incomplete data collection and partial understanding about the writer etc. would affect the study result to some degree, which demand improvement in the future study.