The role of code-switching in the creation of an outsider identity in the bilingual film

This article explores the function and significance of code-switching (language alternation) in film. Most major studies have focused on code-switching as a conversational strategy, with little attention being paid to its use within the cinematographic medium of film. This article attempts to address this lacuna by examining the way in which code-switching in film is used to mark the distinction between the 'insider' and the 'outsider' in a number of selected films from three genres: 1) war films, 2) films relating to intercultural contact situations in multilingual and diglossic societies, and 3) science fiction and fantasy films. It is postulated that code-switching can be effectively employed by film directors and scriptwriters to serve a number of functions. In particular, it enables the scriptwriter to create identity and relationships in fictional worlds. From the perspective of the Markedness Model, developed by Myers-Scotton (1993), the switches embedded in the matrix language of the dialogue of the film are viewed as marked choices for specific purposes, such as creating and highlighting different identities and relationships.