Codeswitching in Igbo-English bilingualism : a Matrix Language Frame account / Kelechukwu Ihemere.

"Codeswitching occurs when multilingual speakers embed elements of more than one language into the dominant (or Matrix) language within individual utterances of conversation. Igbo-English Bilingualism explores the syntax of bilingual codeswitching between the Benue-Congo African language of Igb...

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Online Access: Full Text (via ProQuest)
Main Author: Ihemere, Kelechukwu U. (Kelechukwu Uchechukwu) (Author)
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: London ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
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Summary:"Codeswitching occurs when multilingual speakers embed elements of more than one language into the dominant (or Matrix) language within individual utterances of conversation. Igbo-English Bilingualism explores the syntax of bilingual codeswitching between the Benue-Congo African language of Igbo and English. Within the framework of Myers-Scotton's highly influential Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model, Kelechukwu Ihemere explores the notion of asymmetry in Igbo-English codeswitching, arguing that the two languages do not contribute equally in the creation of mixed utterances. In the abstract interaction between the two grammars, the Matrix language is more activated than the Embedded language, resulting in either monolingual Igbo discourse or discourse with an Igbo morphosyntactic frame but with English insertions. Using both linguistic and quantitative analyses, this book uniquely investigates the governing principles and restrictions on bilingual clauses and grammatical codeswitching in the context of a West African language and English. Providing a detailed descriptive and theoretical investigation of Igbo-English data and a deeper analysis of the MLF model, this book will be of interest to anyone working in the fields of comparative syntax, bilingualism and contact linguistics"--
Physical Description:1 online resource
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9781474278164
1474278167
9781474278157
1474278159