Abstract This paper investigates the use of codeswitching at traditional inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies in the southern part of Ghana. The study site is Accra, the multilingual capital of Ghana which is located in the south of the country, and was selected due to the high frequency of inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies which take place there. The data analysed were audio-visual recordings of interactions at such ceremonies, collected, by (Nuworsu, Anastasia 2015: Language use in inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies in Greater Accra. MPhil. thesis, Department of Linguistics, University of Ghana, Legon.). They were complemented with observations made at the event grounds, as well as follow up interviews with key actors during and after the events. The theoretical framework employed is based on a combination of Giles’ Communication Accommodation Theory, Hymes’s Ethnography of Communication and Myers-Scotton‘s Markedness Model. It is found that bilinguals who speak on behalf of families participating in the ceremonies often use codeswitching in innovative ways to convey various social messages. Significant uses were: (i) speakers use codeswitching to converge toward the speech of their in-laws in a bid to decrease the social and linguistic distance between the two families and (ii) they use it as a divergence strategy to, for instance, increase the social and linguistic distance between them when they wish to accentuate an ideological, or any other, difference between them. Overall, the study contributes towards insights about inter-group language practices in multilingual African settings, especially in urban areas.

中文翻译：

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“看我，我，我，我是她！！”：加纳南部民族间传统结婚仪式的代码转换

摘要本文研究了加纳南部传统民族间结婚仪式上代码转换的使用。研究地点是加纳多国语言首都阿克拉，位于该国南部，由于在该国举行的族裔间的结婚仪式频繁而被选中。分析的数据是在此类仪式上进行互动的视听记录，由（纳瓦沃苏，阿纳斯塔西娅2015：大阿克拉民族间结婚仪式中的语言使用。硕士论文，加纳大学语言学系，莱贡）收集。 。在活动现场进行的观察以及活动期间和活动结束后对主要演员的后续采访都对他们进行了补充。所采用的理论框架是基于Giles的沟通适应理论的结合，Hymes的传播人种志和Myers-Scotton的标记模型。已经发现，代表参加仪式的家庭发言的双语者经常以创新的方式使用代码转换来传达各种社交信息。重要的用途是：（i）演讲者使用代码转换来朝其亲戚的言语汇聚，以减少两个家庭之间的社会和语言距离；（ii）他们将其用作发散策略，例如，当他们希望强调他们之间的意识形态或任何其他差异时，请增加他们之间的社会和语言距离。总体而言，该研究有助于深入了解多语言非洲环境中，尤其是城市地区的群体间语言习惯。已经发现，代表参加仪式的家庭发言的双语者经常以创新的方式使用代码转换来传达各种社交信息。重要的用途是：（i）演讲者使用代码转换来朝其亲戚的言语汇聚，以减少两个家庭之间的社会和语言距离；（ii）他们将其用作发散策略，例如，当他们希望强调他们之间的意识形态或任何其他差异时，请增加他们之间的社会和语言距离。总体而言，该研究有助于深入了解多语言非洲环境中，尤其是城市地区的群体间语言习惯。已经发现，代表参加仪式的家庭发言的双语者经常以创新的方式使用代码转换来传达各种社交信息。重要的用途是：（i）演讲者使用代码转换来朝其亲戚的言语汇聚，以减少两个家庭之间的社会和语言距离；（ii）他们将其用作发散策略，例如，当他们希望强调他们之间的意识形态或任何其他差异时，请增加他们之间的社会和语言距离。总体而言，该研究有助于深入了解多语言非洲环境中，尤其是城市地区的群体间语言习惯。