La commutazione di codice negli incontri Tandem

Analisi di fenomeni di commutazione di codice in interazioni Tandem (modalità di appredimento linguistico semi-formale) basata su incontri audio e video-registrati fra studenti universitari italiani e britannici (Erasmus). This paper focuses on code-switching (CS) in a corpus of Tandem interactions among university students. A formal analysis reveals that, in contrast to casual conversations, CS normally takes place in ‘flagged format’ and participants usually return quickly to the original language. Two of the four primary functions identified – communicative and regulative – are common to other contexts of bilingual interaction: in the former case, CS is used to convey particular speaker intentions, in the latter, to constitute and maintain the discourse genre (in this case, Tandem as a specific language learning activity). CS also functions both as a production strategy (i.e. to solve problems linked to language planning) and as a learning strategy (i.e. to extend interactants’ L2 knowledge). A close analysis of various examples not only shows how these latter two functions are closely interrelated, but also suggests the presence of different degrees of ‘cognitive effort’ on the non native’s part. In closing, we discuss some implications of our findings for language teaching.