Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.29> Article
Research Article

Pragmatic Motivations of Code-mixing in Oral Context among Local Chinese Employees in Foreign Companies: A Case Study of a Chinese Subsidiary of an American Company

Mitian ChenPeking University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Foreign company employees (FCEs, meaning local Chinese employees who work for foreign companies) have become a considerable social group in China. One of their salient characteristics is the language they use in their speech community: mixed language of Chinese and English, which is a classic case of code-mixing. Although some scholars have already noticed this phenomenon, few focused research has been found yet. Thus, this present research aims to look into this code-mixing case from an apparent-time, sociolinguistic perspective, focusing on the pragmatic motivations of this code-mixing. Accuracy, efficiency, emphasis, emotion softening and strengthening are the main motivations found in this case study. The present research also calls for more attentions on this code-mixing case in this special social community in the future.

Keywords: code-switching; code-mixing; pragmatic motivation; multinational company
Published: April 19, 2024
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/29/20230890
Volume: CHR Vol.29
pp. 300-308
Download PDF

References

  1. Zhang, W. (2000) Transforming China: Economic reform and its political implications. New York: St. Martin's.
  2. Zhang, Q. (2005) A Chinese yuppie in Beijing: Phonological variation and the construction of a new professional identity. Language in Society, 34(3), 431-466. doi:10.1017/S0047404505050153
  3. Heller, M (1988) Codeswitching: Anthropological and Sociolinguistic Perspectives. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
  4. Sankoff, D., Poplack, S. (1981) A formal grammar for code‐switching. Paper in Linguistics, 14:1, 3-45, DOI: 10.1080/08351818109370523
  5. Bokamba E.G. (1989) Are There Syntactic Constraints on Code-mixing?. World Englishes, 8: 277-292. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.1989.tb00669.x
  6. Halmari, H. (1997) Government and Codeswitching: Explaining American Finnish. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
  7. Benjamin, B. (2001) The Language of Multiple Identities among Dominican Americans. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 10(2): 190-22.
  8. Thomason, S.G. (2001) Language Contact. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  9. Scotton, C. (1989). CODE-MIXING AND CODE CHOICE: A HONG KONG CASE STUDY. John
  10. Gibbons. Clevedon, England: Multilingual matters, 1987. Pp. ix 173. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 11(1), 107-109. doi:10.1017/S0272263100007944
  11. Banu, R., & Sussex, R. (2001) Code-switching in Bangladesh. English Today, 17(2), 51-61. doi:10.1017/S0266078401002061
  12. Alam, S. (2006). Code-mixing in Bangladesh: a Case Study of Non-government White-collar Service Holders and Professionals. Asian Affairs, Vol. 28, No. 4.
  13. Yuliana, N., Amelia R., Luziana. P.S. (2015) Code Mixing And Code-Switching Of Indonesian Celebrities: A Comparative Study. Jurnal Lingua Cultura, 47-54.
  14. Marzona, Y. (2017) The Use of Code Mixing Between Indonesian and English in Indonesian Advertisement of Gadis. Jurnal Ilmiah Langue and Parole, 1(1), 238–248. https://doi.org/10.36057/jilp.v1i1.25
  15. Brannen, M.Y., & Mughan, T. (2016) Language in international business: Developing a field. Language strategies for global business. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
  16. Heath, J (1989) From Code-Switching to Borrowing: A Case Study of Moroccan Arabic. London: Kegan Paul International.
  17. Fraser, B. (1999) What Are Discourse Markers?. Journal of Pragmatics, 31(7), 931-952. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(98)00101-5.
  18. Hlavac, J. (2006) Bilingual discourse markers: Evidence from Croatian–English Code-switching. Journal of Pragmatics, 38(11), 1870-1900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.05.005