CODE-SWITCHING: A PRAGMATIC STRATEGY IN MULTILINGUAL NIGERIAN COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Code-switching, the alternating use of two or more languages within a conversation or discourse, is a prevalent phenomenon in multilingual communities. This study examines code-switching as a pragmatic strategy employed to achieve specific communicative purposes, such as clarifying meaning, signalling social identity, maintaining solidarity, and negotiating power relations. The analysis is grounded in Myers-Scotton’s Markedness Model and Auer’s Conversational Analysis Approach. The Markedness Model explains how speakers’ language choices are shaped by the negotiation of social norms and rights-and-obligations sets, while Auer’s approach accounts for the sequential and interactional functions of code-switching within conversational contexts. Data were collected from naturally occurring conversations among educated bilinguals in a Nigerian multilingual setting, and a qualitative discourse analysis was applied to identify patterns and functions of code-switching. Findings reveal that code-switching is not a random occurrence but a purposeful act influenced by sociocultural norms, conversational structure, and speaker intentions. It serves pragmatic functions such as emphasis, politeness, topic shift, repair, and identity marking, aligning with both social motivations and interactional contingencies. The study concludes that code-switching is a dynamic communicative tool for meaning-making, social positioning, and pragmatic adaptation in multilingual settings. These insights underscore its value beyond structural considerations, highlighting its role as a resource for effective communication and social negotiation in diverse linguistic communities.