Factors Responsible for Code-Switching in Gulgulia

Abstract

This paper briefly discusses the factors which contribute in code-switching in Gulgulia language which is the mother tongue of the Gulgulia community. The Gulgulias are a nomadic community, widely distributed in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar and Bengal who live by arranging shows of monkeys and bears, begging and even petty thieving. While exploring the ethno-linguistic vitality of Gulgulia, a research-worthy aspect was detected where Gulgulia exhibits a consistent pattern of multilingualism, such as in situational code-switching where domains determine the language of choice. The members cease using Gulgulia and adhere to Hindi/ Khortha etc. during social domains like religious practices and in other festive celebrations. This is an interesting phenomenon that there is somewhat different language use in some specific domains and it is very likely that this phenomenon will become a threat to the existence of Gulgulia in the future. Combining the general description of the Gulgulia people, Gulgulia language and its use in society with the pattern of code-switching in Gulgulia under certain domains, this paper delves widely into the factors that contribute in such code-switching thereby channelizing our concentration towards the influence of this code-switching upon the existence of Gulgulia language in the future.

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