Codeswitching in Tunisia: Attitudinal and behavioural dimensions

Codeswitching (S) has been the focus of some sociolinguistic research in Tunisia. However, little of this research has focused on social psychological aspects such as attitudes and self-reports associated with codeswitching. In our first study, attitudes about codeswitching were gathered from 169 Tunisian University students using a matched-guise technique. In the second study, 28 similar students completed language diaries that reported details about their use of different language varieties over several days. In the third study, employing a field experimental approach, the extent of actual codeswitching behaviour was observed in casual interactions with over 700 individuals in the streets. Results revealed that negative evaluations of codeswitching obtained in the first study were not reflected in the behavioural data obtained in the subsequent studies that examined self-reported and actual behaviour. Moreover, CS was employed largely with 'ingroup' members (e.g. friends, family and other Tunisians), but less with teachers or members of non-Arab groups. Although the latter findings are discussed in terms of ethnolinguistic identity processes, the overall findings of the three studies demonstrate that CS is a distinct linguistic variety, which could serve to bridge the linguistic Arabic-French duality of post-colonial Tunisia. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.