The Markedness Model of Codeswitching and Its Application to the Language User

Abstract

The typical approach to markedness over the past half century has been to hypothesise linguistic universals, build a theory on them, and then fit speaker/listener variability into the common theoretical mould. In this study, I suggest a user-centered strategy. Markedness is based on EXPECTATION, which is expressed by likelihood. This theory predicts that patterns in specific languages would diverge from so-called universal patterns since expectation is related to the individual speaker/hearer and characterised by linguistic and/or extralinguistic context. Since seemingly similar language patterns might differ from one language to the next dependent on context, person, frequency, etc., we predict cross-linguistic variability based on differing levels of EXPECTATION. Given that persons with similar physiological and cognitive ability speak languages, we also predict commonalities.