TO SWITCH OR NOT TO SWITCH: FUNCTIONS OF CODE-SWITCHING IN KAZAKH DIRECT REPORTED SPEECH

Abstract

In a multi-ethnic and multilingual country like Kazakhstan, code-switching is a common and socially meaningful phenomenon. This study investigates how speakers choose which language to use when quoting others. Specifically, it explores the functions of code-switching in direct reported speech in Kazakh, using conversation analysis and discourse analysis applied to naturally occurring data from the Multimedia Corpus of Spoken Kazakh Language. The findings suggest that code-switching is a deliberate choice shaped by contextual and interactional factors. All major functions of code-switching identified in previous literature were observed in the data. They were primarily used to express a stance and reduce responsibility for the quoted material. This research contributes to our understanding of the modern Kazakh language in the multilingual context and how code-switching is normally used and triggered in such settings.