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Wayne State University

Code-Switching, Code-Mixing And Radical Bilingualism In U.s. Latino Texts

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>My dissertation, Code-switching, Code-mixing and Radical Bilingualism in U.S. Latino texts investigates the nature and significance of Spanish-English code-switching in U.S. Latino texts. I analyze fiction, creative non-fiction, journalistic texts, songs, and social media messages and I carry out a grammatical and sociolinguistic analyses of these texts. Although many of these texts would fall into Torres’ (2007) Radical Bilingualism category, I point out that there are in fact different ways in which a text can be radically bilingual and I show that some of these texts are approaching Auer’s (1999) notion of a fused lect. From a sociolinguistic point of view I consider the local and global functions of code-switching and investigate if it is becoming the unmarked code even in writing among U.S. Latinos. The analyses of the texts and the information gathered through interviews with some of the authors of the texts suggest that code-switching is not perceived as a sign of linguistic incompetence, but as an important part of Latinos’ linguistic and cultural identity.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph.D.
Level thesis:degree_level
Open Access Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Year dc:date.available
2015

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Derrick, Roshawnda A.
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Eugenia Casielles-Suárez

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:digitalcommons.wayne.edu:oa_dissertations-2308

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Wayne State University
Base URL
digitalcommons.wayne.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Derrick, Roshawnda A.. Code-Switching, Code-Mixing And Radical Bilingualism In U.s. Latino Texts. Open Access Dissertation thesis, 2015. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/1309