Adaptation Interpretation Of Code-switching Between Putonghua And Shanghaihua

Code-switching (CS) is the alternate use of two or more languages or language varieties in the same utterance or conversation (Myers-Scotton,1993). It’s the performer’s communicative strategy, rather than a reflection of his incompetence in the language involved (Huang Guowen,1995). Since the1970s, linguists home and abroad conduct studies on CS from various approaches, including sociolinguistic, grammatical, psychological, conversational, and pragmatic analysis, and made great findings. The previous studies mostly focused on the CS phenomenon between different language systems in different national or cultural backgrounds, and research materials were mostly concentrated on CS occurring in conversation utterances. The CS phenomenon of one person’s dialectal variety in the same national and cultural circumstance did not get yet enough attention. Taking Verschuren’s(1999) Linguistic Adaptation Theory (LAT) and Yu Guodong’s(2001) Linguistic Adaptation Model (LAM) as the theoretical foundation, this thesis makes a qualitative study on the most representative collections of Zhou Libo’s Hai Pai Qing Kou (HPOK):An Amusing Talk on Thirty Years, An Amusing Talk on Great Shanghai, I’m Crazy about Money, aiming to explore the adaptation interpretation of the dialectal-variety CS between Putonghua (PTH) and Shanghaihua (SHH). CS adaptation to dialectal variety is interpreted in terms of linguistic reality and psychological motivations.According to Verschuren’s LAT (1999), code-switching is the realization of adaptation and a series of dynamic processes of linguistic choice on different levels of consciousness out of reasons within and outside the language. On the basis of Verschuren’s theory, Yu Guodong (2001) put forward LAM, pointing out CS is the communicative strategy employed by language users to achieve their purposes in specific context. He concludes the adaptation in three aspects:adaptation to linguistic reality, to social conventions, and to psychological motivations. Since the social convention is not as an influential factor in the same Chinese cultural circumstances as the other two, analysis of adaptation to social convention is thus controlled in this paper. The author of the thesis analyzes the dialectal-variety CS in HPOK from two aspects:linguistic reality adaptation and psychological motivation adaptation, aiming to clarify the functions in the two aspects and interpret the ultimate purposes of CS. This paper chooses990pieces of dialectal-variety CS from HPQK, and55CS examples are analyzed in details.The thesis has reached the following conclusion:(1) At the linguistic adaptation level, CS in HPQK as a consumption-promotion device is demonstrated firstly as bilateral shifts between PTH and SHH for appealing to a greater audience, heightening popularity of the talk show and diversifying the performance as a fresh amusement and relaxation for the audience; and secondly as interchangeable choices for gaining dialectal features and stronger competitiveness, achieving linguistic freshness and advantages, and intensifying the speaker’s national reputation.(2)At the psychological adaptation level, CS in HPQK as an emotion-satisfying strategy is achieved firstly from PTH to SHH for pleasing the native Shanghainese, in enhancing the addresser’s local privilege identity, acquiring native Shanghainese approval, and shortening speaker-audience distance; secondly from SHH to PTH for catering to the non-native Shanghainese in highlighting the talk show authority, and the audience’s sense of social superiority; thirdly between PTH and SHH for creating amusement and humor so that criticizing social limitations, and satirizing illegal and improper performances can be as gentle as acceptable.As to the significance, this thesis is valuable in the following aspects:Firstly, it proves that the western sociolinguistic theory on CS can be used to interpret the dialectal-variety CS in the same national and cultural environment, and thus extends the application of CS theory. Meanwhile, using the typical, oral corpus with Chinese local characteristics to interpret CS between Chinese dialects provides a new case study on the field of dialects and comedy, consequently adds to an additional study of dialects in the research on regional culture and ethnic identity. In addition, by interpreting CS speech behavior this thesis clarifies the language universalities in terms of linguistics and anthropology, and further facilitates people’s communication under the Chinese cultural background and international communication in globalization.