The mixing of language codes in anglophone postmodern literature

Abstract

The study of the mixing of language codes on a par with linguistic and extralinguistic factors that determine peculiarities of the equal functioning of two (or more) languages in a communicative act or in a literary text, in particular an anglophone literary text, is studied at the interdisciplinary level and is relevant. Traditionally, the phenomenon of mixing language codes is considered as a separate aspect of language interactions, as well as in the context of such linguistic phenomena as: borrowings, interference, bilingualism, diglossia, code switching, etc. The interest of linguists to language mixtures arose in the middle of the 20th century. This is evidenced by works in the field of structural phonology theory, information theory, bilingualism theory, considering successfully coexisting language systems (two or more). In linguistics, as in the other interdisciplinary studies, today debates about the nature of bilingualism and the prerequisites for its occurrence take place. Traditionally, bilingualism is considered to be a forced phenomenon arising from the established use of two languages in society. However, we emphasize that the so-called tradition of using several languages in speech is not always present in society, unlike the Anglophone postmodern literature of the last century, where the presence of language mixtures (foreign language insertions) is one of the characteristic features. The key issue of this article is the Anglophone literary text created by bilingual bi-cultural writers using the strategy of language mixing (code switching) not only as a language game, but also as a full-fledged linguistic phenomenon, the mechanism of interaction of components of language insertions, demonstrating a certain style, cultural way of portrayed social and linguistic environment.The aim of the study is to analyze the language and speech activity of the characters of a certain language group on the material of the Anglophone literary text.

Keywords

• bilingualism
• bi-cultural
• language interference
• code switching
• code mixture
• foreign insertions
• writer’s individual style