A Study On The Structures And Functions Of Code-switching In Chinese Fashion Magazines

This dissertation has investigated the structural and functional features of code-switching (CS) in Chinese fashion magazines. The structural features are analyzed based on the Matrix Language Frame Model proposed by Myers-Scotton (1993); the functions that CS performs and the distribution of these functions are mainly analyzed in the light of Yu Guodong's pragmatic adaptation model of CS analysis (2001). Four magazines, Rayli Fashion and Beauty, Elle, Cosmopolitan and City Beauty were chosen as the sample because of their popularity with the Chinese readers and their large circulations. Twelve issues of these four kinds of magazines, published from April to June in 2005, were chosen, the instances of CS in which were coded and analyzed to address seven research questions: the embedded language; the occurrence rates of smooth/flagged switching; the occurrence rates of intra-sentential/inter-sentential/tag switching; the occurrence rates of switched linguistic elements; the distribution of switched words of different parts of speech; the functions that CS serves; and the dominant category of CS functions.The coding results show that in Chinese fashion magazines, English is the main embedded language. In terms of switching types, flagged switching and intra-sentential switching are dominant. Among the switched linguistic elements, words are predominant. In lexical CS, most inserted words belong to content words, among which nouns are predominant and proper nouns appear with a very high frequency. As for the functions of CS, in general, CS in the Chinese fashion magazines is used to make convergence to the readers'linguistic favor, to mark the magazines'market orientation and to reinforce the informal, casual and lively communicative style. In specific contexts, CS performs various functions, such as lexical gap filling, convenience, quotation, clarification, economy, emphasis, tone-softening, identity-concealing etc. The result of quantitative analysis shows that to make the communication more precise and convenient is the main function of CS in Chinese fashion magazines.The findings generated in this study may have important implications in the following aspects. First, this research on the structures and functions of CS in the Chinese fashion magazines can enrich our understanding of this specific linguistic phenomenon and facilitate our perception of the language use by contemporary Chinese. Second, such a study would arouse the fashion magazine authors'and editor's attention...