Abstract

Code-switching (CS) has been extensively studied for a variety of purposes and under many contexts. In recent years there has been a shift in CS literature to better understand the sociological forces that affect speakers’ use of CS. While in earlier literature, CS was perceived negatively by both speakers and the general public (Milroy & Muysken, 1995; MacGregor-Mendoza, 2021; Anderson & Toribio, 2007; Fishman, 1967), it has since been shown that many bilinguals view CS positively. More recent research suggests that bilinguals perceive CS as an important part of their identity and use it to show they belong to particular groups (Yim & Clément, 2021; Rothman & Rell, 2005; Duff, 2012; Buchlotz & Hall, 2005; Bustamante-López, 2008; Torrez, 2013; Norton, 1997; Norton, 2013). These recent studies regarding CS and attitudes have largely focused on individual differences (Dewaele & Wei, 2014a; Gardner-Chloros, McEntee-Atalianis, & Finnis, 2005; Moses et al., 2021; Peña-Díaz, 2004; Urciuoli, 2014; Montes-Alcalá, 2009; Chappell & Faldis, 2007; Yim & Clément, 2021). In this research, I posit that the country in which bilinguals live influences their attitudes toward CS use due to differences in immigration policies in each country. Considering that the three countries have different attitudes toward immigrants (Brosseau & Dewing, 2018; Environics Institute of Survey Research; The Gallup Organization, 2022; Budiman, 2020; Sief & Clement, 2019), this could have an impact on how immigrants themselves use CS and their attitudes toward it. Spanish-English and English-Spanish bilinguals in three countries (Canada, the United States, and Mexico) took a survey that evaluated their attitudes toward CS, frequency of use, and if and how they used CS to form their identity. The results of the study suggest that there are differences in attitudes about CS between bilinguals in these three countries. Moreover, the results demonstrated that while Canadian bilinguals had more positive feelings overall toward CS, bilinguals in the U.S. used CS more often.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Humanities; Linguistics

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2023-08-14

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12910

Keywords

code-switching, frequency, language attitudes, identity, bilingual, immigrants, translanguaging, language policy, Canada, Mexico, United States

Language

english

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