An Analysis Of Code-switching In Singapore Movie I Not Stupid Too

As an important linguistic phenomenon, code-switching refers to the use of two or more language varieties in the same conversation. A lot of researchers have engaged in studying code-switching in the past decades and they have got great achievements in their researches.The aim of the thesis is to analyze code-switching in the famous Singapore movie I Not Stupid Too. The focus of the thesis lies on two points:the grammatical constraints and the pragmatic functions of code-switching. In order to have a better analysis, the author employs two important theories in the thesis:the MLF model of Myers-Scotton and Verschueren's Adaptation Theory. Some typical instances of code-switching are picked out and every instance is followed by its analysis. The author gets two conclusions through the analysis:(1) Code-switching in the movie follows some grammatical rules. Based on the MLF model, they can be classified into three types of grammatical constraints:EL islands, ML islands and ML+EL islands. (2) Code-switching in the movie plays some pragmatic functions. Characters in the movie choose the appropriate code in their conversation to get a better communication. Code-switching is used as adaptation to different factors including social conventions, psychological motivations and convenience. In communication, code-switching is an effective strategy which can be used to achieve various communicative goals.There are mainly five parts in this thesis. The first chapter is the introduction. The author introduces the purpose, significance, and methodology of the thesis in this part. A review of the relevant literature of code-switching is presented in the second chapter. This chapter includes three main parts:(1) some terminologies and definitions; (2) four approaches to the analysis of code-switching studies including sociolinguistic approach, grammatical approach, psycholinguistic approach, and conversational analysis approach; (3) the study of code-switching in I Not Stupid Too. In the next chapter, two theories which will be employed in the thesis are introduced: the MLF model of Myers-Scotton and Jef Verschueren's Adaptation Theory. Myers-Scotton presents three kinds of grammatical constituents of code-switching: ML+EL constituents, ML islands and EL islands. Jef Verschueren's proposes that language use is a process of language choice, no matter it is conscious or unconscious. In order to achieve communicative goals, language users have to make language choices and do adaptation. In chapter four, the author selects some typical instances of code-switching in the movie I Not Stupid Too and analyzes the grammatical constituents and pragmatic functions of them based on the two theories. The last chapter centers on the conclusion of the thesis. Through analysis, the author reaches two conclusions:code-switching in the movie obey some grammatical rules and plays some pragmatic functions. The author also presents some limitations of the study in this chapter.Code-switching is an effective communicative strategy used frequently not only in the movie but also in our daily life. The purpose of the study is to get a deep analysis and a better understanding of code-switching in not only the movie but also our daily life. The author intends to arouse language users'attention of this linguistic phenomenon to help them use it as an effective strategy to communicate easier, quicker and better.