Code-Switching

Intra-sentential code-switching, the alternative use of two languages within a clause or sentence, is a hallmark of bilingual discourse. The study of code-switching is an ideal testbed for studying how bilingual speakers navigate their language systems during speech planning and how bilingual comprehenders incrementally integrate new information, potentially coming from different languages, with the preceding context in order to build up a message-level interpretation. This chapter discusses theoretical approaches in psychology and linguistics to intra-sentential code-switching and outlines empirical work in these domains by highlighting illustrative studies.