LEXICAL AND SEMANTIC FEATURES OF CODE-SWITCHING

Abstract

Code-switching is a common linguistic phenomenon in multilingual communities where speakers alternate between two or more languages within a single conversation, sentence, or utterance. It reflects not only language competence but also social identity, communicative strategies, and cultural interaction. This article examines the lexical and semantic features of code-switching, focusing on how vocabulary borrowing, meaning shifts, pragmatic intentions, and contextual adaptation shape bilingual speech. The study highlights that code-switching is not random; rather, it follows structural and semantic patterns influenced by speakers’ goals, social environment, and linguistic resources. Understanding lexical and semantic dimensions of code-switching contributes to broader research in sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and discourse analysis.