Seite 154 [154]
CHAPTER 7 FINDINGS
matrix structure of the language is English with some embedded Hungarian
words. Iherefore, the switch in line 2, to embarrassed cannot be interpreted as
a socio-pragmatically meaningful switch, but rather as an attempt to fill in a
limited Hungarian lexicon with an English eguivalent. Also, the speaker uses
the English preposition about with embarrassed, and not the Hungarian one,
which would be emiatt ("because of it").
In first-generation data as well, competence-related and sociopragmatically
meaningful instances of code-switches have been differentiated and excluded
from the scope of the examination. Also, code-switched instances of which a
sociopragmatic function could not be defined or classified into one of the five
main principles set by Bolonyai and Bhatt”” have been excluded from the scope
of my investigation. Therefore, competence-related, sociopragmatically not
meaningful or ambiguous instances of code-switches have not been analyzed.
The next example [23] serves as illustration of a sociopragmatically not
meaningful code-switched instance, a code-switch prompted by the speaker’s
lexical gap. In this extract, the speaker describes the technical process of
covering a table with some special material. In the first line, she switches to
English when referring to the special material. Before switching, she repeats
the Hungarian word “ilyen” meaning ‘sort of’ in English twice, which shows
that she is hesitating and probably does not find the appropriate Hungarian
word for it.
Example [23]
1 GI1F17,48 “Nem ez egy ilyen plastic, ami ilyen plastic coating, amit
rakensz, igy megszarad, és olyan mint hogyha műanyag
lenne”
(‘No, this is kind of plastic, which is kind of plastic coating that you spread
on it, and then it gets dry and is like plastic.’)
(source: data collected by Kovacs in 2008-2009)
The speaker’s limited use of Hungarian in the American setting makes
it difficult for her to recall the appropriate technical term in Hungarian,
so she switches to English. The switch fills in a lexical gap with no other
sociopragmatic meaning or intention. Instances of similar nature have been
excluded from my investigation.
2955 Bhatt — Bolonyai, Code-switching and the optimal grammar of bilingual use, Bilingualism:
Language and Cognition, 522-546