Code-switching, a comparative case study of Hebrew-Spanish bilingual families

Abstract

Code-switching research has largely been characterized by the efforts to propose constraints which define it syntactically, investigate its sociological and psycholinguistic causes, and compose an over-arching linguistic framework under which the entire phenomenon could be placed. Many such attempts are continuously met with various counter-examples and arguments which have led to a persistent process of adjustments and modifications of previously held assumptions and suggested theoretical models. This case study looks at code-switching in the context of two typologically different languages, namely Hebrew and Spanish, and consider any observed instances in which earlier models may be challenged. Two Hebrew-Spanish bilingual families who code-switch regularly were invited to participate in this study, and a variety of spontaneous instances of code-switching were recorded and analyzed. Findings, although limited due to the data sample, contradict several statements by earlier CS researchers, and suggest that code-switching as a linguistic phenomenon, would require a much larger systematic investigation of many different linguistic contexts in order to be fitted into one all-inclusive theoretical model.