Code-switching as a bilingual and multilingual linguistic strategy in the construction of Amathaf’entandabuzo

Abstract

AbstractCode-switching in spoken modes has now been studied fairly extensively and is better understood at the conversational as well as the scholarly level. In a multilingual and multicultural society such as South Africa, code-switching is not only a conventional communicative strategy, but also a blueprint that is used in modern isiXhosa literature in prose narrative and poetry. Given that, this article uses a selected isiXhosa drama to underline how and why code-switching is utilised as a linguistic phenomenon. The debates here are inspired by the deficit in the scholarly examination of isiXhosa literature hinging on isiXhosa linguistics. Note-taking, which is subsumed under qualitative research methodology, is employed to examine the isiXhosa drama as a source of data, while code-switching is used as a theoretical perspective. It must be stressed that this article does not try to unravel the drama in respect of theoretical literary underpinnings, but focuses on the discourses concerning code-switching as a linguistic occurrence in constructing and assembling isiXhosa literature. Finally, concluding remarks, as well as recommendations, are presented for future scholarly debates for the very reason that seeks to advance isiXhosa linguistics.