Indexicality and Code-switching: Examples from Two Mayors’ Opening Speeches for Two International Sports Events

• Main Authors: Hong-wei Lin, 林泓洧
• Other Authors: Ming-yu Tseng
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/47685070816379008791

碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 外國語文學系研究所 === 99 === The present study aims to redeem social indexical meanings of language choice and language alternation in the light of indexical order, a notion proposed by Silverstein (2003). Many researchers have agreed that language varieties are indexical of certain macro-social relations and that code-switching even within a speech event can also be socially meaningful. Nonetheless, some issues such as how the indexical associations have been formed and how the associations are dynamically transformed into indexical effects have been less extensively discussed. Based on the framework of indexical order, together with some code-switching approaches and concepts, this thesis examines two opening speeches made for two international sports events held in Taiwan. The two speeches were delivered by the mayors of the host cities. Each speech involved more than one language, including cases of both code-switching and crossing (Rampton, 1998). The notion of indexical order has helped unveil the dialectical nature of how the indexical meanings are produced in code-switching or language-choice practices. Besides, the analyses of this study will demonstrate how the framework of indexical order may enrich the code-switching approaches and general code-switching studies.