Code-switching among bilingual ethnic-adyghe community in the black sea region

Abstract

This study focuses on the linguistic phenomenon of code-switching (CS) in the bilingual Ethnic-Adyghe community in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Specifically, this paper aims to analyze the types of CS and the factors that influence CS in different situational conversations, with a focus on Ethnic Adyghe individuals. The study utilizes a qualitative research design, using a purposive sample type of 10 Ethnic Adyghe individuals living in Samsun, Turkey. This study favors the use of informal settings to gather data from various linguistic contexts and analyze the frequency of CS. The findings indicate that participants used intra-sentential CS the most (59.9%). One major reason for that was the lack of vocabulary in Adyghe, leading participants to switch to Turkish to fill the lexical gap and effectively communicate their thoughts. Moreover, a total of 14 factors were identified. These factors encompassed aspects such as proficiency, social norms, cultural identity, vocabulary limitations, and communication effectiveness. The identification of these factors contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics of code-switching within the bilingual Ethnic-Adyghe community.