The Relationship between Code-Mixing and the New Varieties of English: Issues and Implications

Abstract

It has been claimed that code-mixing (CM) is one of the defining features of the new varieties of English (NVEs). An attempt is made to explore the implications of this claim, distinguishing three kinds of CM - competence-related, communicative, & culture-related. It is shown that none of these is peculiar to the NVE contexts; CM, therefore, cannot be seen as a special feature of the NVEs. The distinct code hypothesis is examined, which states that CM gives rise to a new mixed code with independent status. It is shown that the hypothesis cannot be maintained without a certain kind of evidence. AA.