Alternância de códigos: uma estratégia de comunicação bilíngue

Kubadilisha msimbo: mkakati wa mawasiliano wa lugha mbili

Abstract

This article is part of the Linguistic approach to code-switching, aiming to analyse how and why code-switching occurs by bilingual speakers around the world, particularly in Beira City. This research is characterized by being of a qualitative nature, making use of bibliographic consultation, observation, and the inductive method. The data presented in it are transcriptions of conversations captured at different times, places, and situational-contexts, such as classroom, family gatherings, bank transactions, and spontaneous conversations in the arteries of Beira City. Code-switching is, in fact, a linguistic phenomenon that occurs naturally in the social interactions of individuals who have mastery, be it total or partial, of two languages, whose reasons are socio-political, sociolinguistic, economic, cultural, style, emotional, availability of memory, solidarity with the interlocutor, change of topic, personal preference, among others. In this way, two individuals can, in the act of conversation, produce utterances in different ways, that is, alternately, and this alternation occurs in a context in which speakers guide their preference for one language at a time and during which it is possible to identify the base language that has been used in the interaction until the moment the switch occurs. Therefore, although speakers use the phenomenon of code-switching as a resource that helps them in communication for various reasons, the switching takes place with the aim of taking advantage of the lexical items most available in their minds, making it easier for them to communicate with their neighbour.