Code-switching variation in Gibraltar

Abstract

This article describes the code-switching (CS) patterns of 31 native Gibraltarians (16F/15M) spread over four generations, aged: (A) 14–25 (B) 26–39 (C) 40–59 and (D) 60+, as revealed in a series of structured interviews. It shows that while monolingual or near-monolingual Spanish usage dominates for all participants in their 60s and above, the younger generations demonstrate a progressively greater breadth of language choice and code-switching patterns. In the case of the youngest generation, which comprises teenagers and people in their early 20s, monolingual Spanish, monolingual English and a range of code-switching phenomena are all attested. This increased variation in code-switching and language choice is shown to be related both to key events in Gibraltar’s sociolinguistic history, and to a constellation of individuating factors such as social network construction, residency patterns, and attitudinal orientations towards Spain and the UK. This breadth of variation also tests the view (in, for example, Muysken 2000: 221) that CS is a phenomenon that can be classified at the community level. It proposes instead that the most convincing account of code-switching variation must also acknowledge the individual’s relationship with sociolinguistic trends within a given speech community.