Abstract:
This research examines the nature ofFanti-English code-mixing among Fanti- speaking students of the University of Cape Coast. It intended to find out the specific matrix language of the code mixed discourse of these students and the effects of this matrix language on the Fanti language as used by the population. The research questions and hypotheses were formulated around this problem.
The data collection tools were questionnaires, observation and interviews.
While the questionnaires were used to gather self-reports about language use among students, the observation enabled data to be gathered in natural, spontaneous contexts. The interviews were part of an experiment to find out whether FantiEnglish bilingual students could control the recourse to English lexical and grammatical elements in their discourse in Fanti under controlled conditions, and the extent to which this control was feasible. A total of eleven volunteers, made up of undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Faculties of Arts, Science and Education, were selected for the interviews as focal participants.
Data consisting of code-mixed utterances were analysed using the comparative method within a hybrid framework.
The results showed that code-mixing among the target population is composite: embedded language (English) elements were active at the lemma level and projected their own slots independently of their Fanti equivalents, which are, in many cases, incongruent with the English content morphemes. This situation contributes to the composite matrix language underlying the phenomenon. It also inhibits access to Fanti content morphemes during spontaneous speech. Finally, it restricts bilinguals' ability to control code-mixing.
It was recommended that a review of the existing English-only policy be done in order to rectifY the imbalance in the attention given to the various languages in the educational set-up. Further, a modified version of the grammar-translation method at the primary school level should be considered.
