Abstract
M.A.
This dissertation investigates codeswitching among black junior primary school pupils in
two multiracial schools in Gauteng. The main objective of the study is to determine the
effects of an English-dominant setting on the language used by black pupils among
themselves in multicultural and multiracial schools. It also endeavours to examine the
information conveyed by codeswitching apart from the referential information. This
dissertation advances the hypothesis that: if black pupils from different language
backgrounds interact in multicultural and multilingual schools codeswitching is unavoidable.
Two primary schools from the Gauteng Department of Education were targeted i.e.
Blairgowrie Primary School and Greenside Primary School. These are 'Model C' schools
with pupils from the language background of almost all eleven official languages. English
is the medium of instruction.
A qualitative research methodology, which is discussed in some detail, was used to gather
data which reflect strong support of the hypothesis. The data was then discussed and
analysed against the background of relevant literature. Motivations for bilingualism and
multilingualism are also discussed. A number of different functional taxonomies of
codeswitching were proposed. Finally, the study concludes with a summary, general
suggestions and conclusions relating to implications for teachers and trainee teachers.