Open AccessCode-Switching Between Lingua Francas The Case of a Plurilingual Facebook Group
Author(s) -
Arianna Bienati,
Claudia Borghetti
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
educazione linguistica language education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2280-6792
DOI - 10.30687/elle/2280-6792/2021/01/003
Subject(s) - code switching , lingua franca , english as a lingua franca , linguistics , perspective (graphical) , code (set theory) , competence (human resources) , psychology , group (periodic table) , sociology , computer science , social psychology , programming language , set (abstract data type) , artificial intelligence , physics , philosophy , quantum mechanics
This article reports on English-Italian code-switching in a Facebook group of university students. The aim of the study is to describe the students’ interactional practices and their alternate use of English and Italian as lingua francas. 773 posts and comments written by 81 members of the group were analysed in a pragmatic and conversational perspective. The study shows that code-switching was ruled by precise norms of interaction and served to manage participant constellations. It also facilitated mutual understanding among students with different degree of language competence, and contributed to the creation of the plurilingual ‘small culture’ of the group.