Intrasentential and Extrasentential Code-switching Among Young Bilingual Speakers in Bamako: A Conversation Analytical Perspective

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The linguistic reality in Bamako, Mali, has made it commonplace that most interactions are performed in a language combining Bambara and French. The reason is certainly that Bamako, as some researchers suggest, is an ethnic and linguistic melting pot. This “hybrid” language seems to have downgraded the notion of language delimitations, hence affecting consequently the identity of each language. In other words, Bambara seems to be an excuse for escaping the successful use of French while interactions in Bambara are significantly dominated by French. It is believed that such a situation favours none of the two languages at play. Already, initial observation has made it possible to assert that the most perceptible manifestations of code-switching in this particular context are intrasentential and extrasentential. To confirm this claim, the present paper will adopt a conversation analytical approach, based on the recording of naturally occurring language.