The Study of Code-Mixing and Code-Switching in the Selected Novels of Amitav Ghosh: A Convergence Approach for Multilingual and Multicultural Students

Authors

  • Ms. Tapashi Mazumdar Ph.D Research Scholar, SP Pune University, Ramkrishna More Arts College, Akurdi, Pune.

Keywords:

Convergence, Code-mixing, Code-switching and sociolinguistics

Abstract

India is a multilingual and multicultural country. Many Indian writers have made attempts to depict India and its culture through Indian Writings in English. English has become the most important language of wider communication. The Indian English speech community consists of those bilinguals who use English as a second language. The bilingual competence of the speaker helps him to mix or switch to another language very easily. The present study is an attempt to understand code-mixing and code switching in the novels, The Hungry Tide (2005), The Glass Palace (2000), The Circle of Reason (1986)and Sea of Poppies (2008)by Amitav Ghosh.

The present study is a convergence study of code-mixed and code-switched language used in four Indian novels. The study also focuses on various dimensions of socio-cultural aspects and their effects on society. As the selected novels have multicultural and multilingual background, the focus is on the multilingual society in which mixing and switching of codes is common. The characters depicted in the novels use Bengali, Hindi Bhojpuri, Arabic and Burmese expressions in their conversations. In the novels,The Hungry Tide(2005), The Glass Palace(2000),The Circle of Reason (1986)and Sea of Poppies(2008),we come acrossBengali, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Arabic and Burmese expressions and a mixed-variety of language in their conversations.

References

Hudson, R, A. (1983). Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kachru, Braj,B. (1983). The Indianization of English. Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Kachru,Braj,B. (1978). “Toward Structuring Code-mixing: An Indian Perspective”. In International journal of the Sociology of Language no.16,

Kachru, Braj, B. (1986). The Alchemy of English. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Ghosh, Amitav. (2008). Sea of Poppies. New Delhi: Penguin Books India.

Ghosh, Amitav. (1986).The Circle of Reason. London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd.

Ghosh, Amitav. (2000).The Glass Palace. Delhi: Ravi Dayal Publisher.

Ghosh, Amitav. (2005).The Hungry Tide. New Delhi: Harper Collins.

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Published

01-07-2017

How to Cite

Ms. Tapashi Mazumdar. (2017). The Study of Code-Mixing and Code-Switching in the Selected Novels of Amitav Ghosh: A Convergence Approach for Multilingual and Multicultural Students. Journal of Teaching and Research in English Literature, 8(3), 39–41. Retrieved from https://journals.eltai.in/index.php/jtrel/article/view/JTREL080308

Issue

Section

Research Articles