EXPLORING SYNTAX VARIATIONS IN BILINGUAL CODE-SWITCHING: AN ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH-MIXED STRUCTURES

Rana May Zuhra; Puspita Maharani; Rahayu Wulandari; Muhammad Faiz; Hawa Alfina Salsabila; Siti Ismahani

doi:10.33479/klausa.v8i2.1106

Rana May Zuhra Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara
Puspita Maharani Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara
Rahayu Wulandari Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara
Muhammad Faiz Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara
Hawa Alfina Salsabila Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara
Siti Ismahani Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33479/klausa.v8i2.1106

Keywords: code-switching, bilingual, syntax, mixed structures, English, grammatical variation, applied linguistics

Abstract

This study explores syntactic variations in bilingual code-switching, focusing on Englishmixed structures. Code-switching, the shift between two languages within a single conversation or discourse, frequently occurs in multilingual settings and can be influenced by various linguistic and social factors. The aim of this research is to analyze patterns and syntactic structures in sentences containing a mixture of English and another language, revealing how simultaneous use of two languages creates unique sentence structures. Using a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews, the study involved 10 bilingual respondents who actively use English alongside their native language in daily conversations. The interview data were analyzed thematically to identify common patterns in syntactic code-switching, such as word order, pronoun usage, and phrase structure differences. Findings indicate that code-switching occurs not only at the lexical level but also at the syntactic level, with significant variations in sentence structures influenced by grammatical differences between English and the native language. The study reveals that factors like conversational context, social setting, and language proficiency level also influence syntactic forms in code-switching. The implications of this study provide new insights into how grammatical rules from two different languages can interact and adapt, enriching our understanding of language adaptability among bilingual speakers. These findings contribute to applied linguistics and can be applied in language education as well as cross-cultural communication studies.

References

Chan, Y., & Lee, T. (2022). Cognitive and syntactic perspectives on bilingual code-switching.
Journal of Bilingualism Studies, 24(3), 45-61.
Chen, H., & Martinez, R. (2019). Syntax in bilingual code-switching: A structural approach. Linguistic Inquiry, 51(4), 75-89.
Davis, R., & Choi, K. (2019). Cognitive demands of bilingual syntactic switching. Bilingual Cognitive Science, 13(2), 58-73.
Garcia, O., & Wei, L. (2020). Pedagogical implications of code-switching in bilingual education. International Journal of Bilingual Education, 19(4), 201-218.
Garcia, S., & White, J. (2021). The role of language proficiency in syntactic code-switching behaviors. Bilingual Research Journal, 29(5), 102-118.
Green, D., & Abutalebi, J. (2022). Cognitive flexibility in bilingual language switching. Journal of Cognitive Linguistics, 18(1), 33-49.
Heller, M. (2021). The Markedness Model and its application in bilingual social contexts. Sociolinguistic Studies, 14(3), 127-143.
Hernandez, L., & Santos, D. (2021). Code-switching and inclusive education: Supporting bilingual students in English-dominant classrooms. Bilingual Education Review, 35(2), 55-72.
Kumar, A., & Zhang, M. (2022). Cultural contexts and syntactic choices in bilingual codeswitching. Language and Society, 26(2), 79-95.
Lopez, J., & Singh, P. (2020). Social and situational factors influencing bilingual codeswitching. Journal of Multilingual Communication, 21(1), 144-159.
Myers-Scotton, C., & Jake, J. (2021). Expanding the theoretical understanding of codeswitching through syntactic perspectives. International Journal of Linguistics, 31(2), 68-82.
Myers-Scotton, C. (2019). The Matrix Language Frame model: Applications in bilingual discourse analysis. Journal of Linguistic Theory, 28(4), 34-49.
Nguyen, P., & Williams, A. (2023). Syntactic variation and cognitive processes in Englishmixed code-switching. Journal of Bilingual Studies, 32(3), 53-67.
Poplack, S. (2020). Equivalence constraint in syntactic code-switching: A review. Syntax and Sociolinguistics, 15(2), 101-120.
Ramirez, L., & Huang, T. (2021). English influence on syntactic structure in multilingual codeswitching. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 19(3), 67-83.
Smith, R., & Lee, A. (2020). Linguistic flexibility in code-switching among bilingual communities. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 23(4), 99-115.
Wei, L., & Martin, G. (2021). English-mixed code-switching in multilingual societies: Patterns and implications. Global Linguistic Studies, 17(3), 85-100.
Garcia, O., & Wei, L. (2020). Translanguaging and bilingual education: New possibilities for teaching and learning. Language and Education, 34(3), 1-15.
Green, D. W., & Abutalebi, J. (2022). Cognitive control and code-switching: The impact of bilingualism on executive function. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 25(4), 401414.
Heller, M. (2021). Code-switching in digital communication: Sociolinguistic perspectives on language and technology. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 25(2), 205-221.
Myers-Scotton, C. (2019). The markedness model and code-switching: A sociolinguistic approach to language use among bilinguals. Journal of Linguistics, 55(3), 423-441.
Myers-Scotton, C. (2020). The Matrix Language Frame model: Bilingual language production and grammatical structures. International Journal of Bilingualism, 24(1), 35-51.
Wei, L., & Martin, P. (2021). The digital age and code-switching: New trends in language mixing among bilinguals. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Bilingualism, 22(4), 389406.