Oldal 187 [187]
CHAPTER 9
—o> —
CONCLUSION
As a result of the qualitative analysis of the transcribed data, it has been
demonstrated that the ranking of constraints proposed by Bolonyai and
Bhatt*!? can be applied for describing the linguistic mechanism underlying
the emergence of socio-pragmatically meaningful instances of code-switches
in the Hungarian-American immigrant community in North Carolina. It has
also been shown that the ranking of constraints cannot be the same in the
Gl and G2 groups of community members. For the better understanding of
the different bilingual experience in Gl and G2 groups, and its most overt
linguistic manifestation, the use of code-switching, a quantitative analysis
has also been implemented.
Having examined more closely the different salient sociolinguistic variables
in Gl and G2 groups, I can conclude that G1 speakers have an overall more
controversial attitude to code-switching. This controversial attitude is
determined by how purist attitude Gl respondents have towards code¬
switching. This two-fold distinction between language seen as an abstract
asset and as a pragmatic tool of communication well reflects the transitional
bicultural, in- between-two-cultures state of G1 members. Code-switching
tendencies seem to depend on which extreme is more dominant in a particular
situation on this scale of transitional bicultural continuum.
Overall, G2 speakers have a more positive attitude to code-switching.
In the G2 group, Hungarian competence determines the most their code¬
switching patterns. Higher Hungarian competence results in fewer instances
of code-switches. Altogether, G2 speakers seem to have a more natural,
pragmatic attitude to code-switching. They readily rely on it as a means of
filling competence-related gaps in their speech or as a device for expressing
their bicultural experience. Therefore, this two-fold distinction between the
purist attitude to code-switching and its pragmatic use or the transitional
continuum of the bicultural experience observed in the Gl group seems
32 Bhatt — Bolonyai, Ibid., 522-546