"Bilingual speech makes an important contribution to the field of language contact....This is an obligatory reference for those working in the field of language contact from a grammatical persrpective. It is a clear point of departure that future researchers cannot ignore if they seek to give a comprehensive explanation of the code-mixing facts that Muysken presents in his book." Language in Society
Book Description
This book provides an indepth analysis of the different ways in which bilingual speakers switch from one language to another in the course of conversation. Pieter Muysken identifies three distinct patterns of mixing and explores how different mixing strategies depend on the contrasting grammatical properties of the languages involved, the degree of bilingual competence of the speaker and various social factors. The book synthesises a vast array of recent research in a rapidly growing field of study which has much to reveal about the structure and function of language.
