26. Code-switching and immigrant communities: the case of Italy

Abstract

This chapter is an overview of the study of code-switching in immigrant communities in Italy. The immigration context in Italy offers a unique opportunity to study how complex linguistic repertoires are reshaped and how old and new patterns of code-switching are used in daily interactions. Examples from different case studies and my own research on Igbo-Nigerians are presented and different communicative functions of code-switching are discussed both in conversations with local Italians and with members of the immigrant communities. All studies have focused on the first generation of immigrants. Special attention is given to the first studies which mention initial results on the use of code-switching within families. A further goal of this chapter is to discuss the still not fully investigated role of Italo-Romance dialects in the linguistic repertoire of immigrants.

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