CODE-SWITCHING AND TRANSLINGUAL HABITS IN THE DIGITAL SPACE OF HUNGARIAN STUDENTS IN SZEKLERLAND

Abstract

The study starts with the definition of local and global linguistic context in the digital space. Facebook, as a social media platform, provides opportunities for everyday digital literacy practices, such as code play. Code play allows mixing codes and repertoires usually with a humorous reference. It is argued that creative interaction among languages creates the methodological need for a translingual approach besides the traditional code-switching theory to explain online linguistic phenomena. Adopting a netnographic approach, this paper presents four participants’ linguistic history, online linguistic practices, and perceptions of their own digital literacy, exploring their portrayal of (multi)linguistic identity which has local, translocal and global resonance. The research exploits possibilities of code play to accomplish communicative goals through code-switching and translingualism with a linguistically diverse audience.