Code-switching from English to Mandarin and Cantonese in Kevin Kwan’s books

Abstract

This article explores the impact of code-switching from English into Mandarin and Cantonese in Kevin Kwan's books to reflect the cultural component of Singaporean society.Our research is based on Kwan's books as most of the characters represent a highly educated circle, and they are all fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and French.These languages are usually used for stylistic and thematic reasons, as code-switching is a tool used to express cognitive intentions or to change the topic of conversation.It is believed that speakers of two or more languages remember language systems and activate them simultaneously when they need to convey their message more clearly.Based on examples from Kwan's books, we will try to link the theoretical context of sociolinguistic theory with its actual literary use and explore the terms that linguists use to give an accurate definition for each phenomenon.