Research On Code-switching In TV Plays From The Perspective Of Ecolinguistics

Code-switching is a phenomenon of language contact. Since "Einar Haugen created the term’Code-switching’"(Yao Mingfa,2007:150), other linguists have made their researches from different perspectives, mainly grammatical, psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, conversational analysis and pragmatic aspect. Multi-codes are now used in many fields, such as songs, network communication, class-teaching and TV plays, especially in iPartment Season3, where Chinese-foreign languages switching and Mandarin-Chinese dialects switching are found widespread.As a marriage of ecology and language, ecolinguistics mainly analyze the relationships between language and its environment. Since Einar Haugen first put forward the concept "Language Ecology"(1972:325), many scholars have paid great attention to the study on it, which forms a theoretical framework on ecoliguistics. Ecological perspective has been applied into such fields as literature, teaching and translation and can also be used to explain language phenomena, without the exception of code-switching.This paper is designed to study code-switching in the TV play iP artment Season3from an ecolinguistic perspective, focusing on the linguistic diversity, the linguistic environment and an ecological view. On the basis of the transcribed lines concerning code-switching in iP artment Season3(12,045altogether), this paper aims to expound the following questions:How is the linguistic diversity reflected by code-switching in iPartment Season3? What are motivations and functions of diversified CS in the linguistic environment in this play? How do we treat code-switching in this play in terms of an ecologiacl view? After the quanlitative analysis supplemented by quantitative statistics, this paper comes to the following findings:Firstly, the linguistic diversity is mainly reflected by diversified languages and dialects and various linguistic forms, among which Chinese-English code-switching is the most frequent one, taking up nearly59%and the frequency of Mandarin-Sichuan dialect code-switching is close to that of Chinese-Japanese code-switching. Moreover, word is the most common form used by characters. Secondly, diversified linguistic codes are inserted into the lines of this play according to the linguistic environment. In the bio-logical environment, the seven main characters use CS in consideration of the design of scenario, like reflection of times, manifestation of region, molding colorful images, boosting viewership and implanting advertisements. In the ideo-logical environment, these characters employ code-switching to seek for convenience, to pursue fashion, to decrease communicative distance and avoid social taboos. The socio-logical environment mainly refers to social functions that switchers expect to serve like improving social status. Thirdly, now that the occurrence of code-switching is inevitable from the aspect of diversity and possible from the linguistic environment, we ought to take an ecological view of it. On the one hand, we should be positive and open to code-switching to protect diversity in the whole ecological system. On the other hand, we advocate that these diversified languages and language varieties coexist harmoniously not in chaos. This paper can deepen our understanding of code-switching from an ecolinguistic perspective, which not only enriches researches on code-switching especially in TV plays but adds color to ecolinguistics. Moreover, ecological view as a holistic, dynamic and interactive one can be used to explain many other language phenomena.This paper consists of five chapters:Chapter One mainly introduces reseach background, purpose and significance of the study as well as organization of this thesis; Chapter Two gives a literature review including definitions and categories of code-switching, relevant studies on code-switching and code-switching in TV plays domestically arid abroad; Chapter Three clarifies ecolinguistics as the theoretical framework of this thesis, mainly diversity, the linguistic linguistic environment together with the ecological view; Chapter Four offers a specific analysis of code-switching in the TV play iPartment Season3from the three aspects of ecolinguistics; Chapter Five is closing remarks to the study including major findings, implications, limitations and suggestions for further study.