A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Code-Switching and Code-Mixing among Hausa-English Bilinguals in Lafia Main Market, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the sociolinguistic patterns of code-switching and code-mixing among Hausa-English bilinguals in Lafia Main Market, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Nigeria’s multilingual environment has made bilingualism a common linguistic reality, particularly in commercial settings where speakers from different ethnolinguistic backgrounds interact daily. The study examines the forms of code-switching and code-mixing used by traders and buyers, the sociolinguistic motivations behind these practices, and the constraints that shape their occurrence during commercial transactions. The research uses a qualitative descriptive design grounded in Ethnography of Communication Theory and Variationist Sociolinguistic Theory. Data were collected through participant observation, audio-recorded natural conversations, and informal interviews with Hausa-English bilingual traders and buyers in Lafia Main Market. The findings show that tag-switching, intra-sentential switching, inter-sentential switching, and lexical code-mixing are dominant linguistic strategies used in commercial interactions. The study further establishes that code-switching performs important communicative functions such as negotiating prices, expressing solidarity, projecting bilingual identity, clarifying meaning, accommodating interlocutors, and facilitating successful business transactions. However, the research also identifies several limitations, including linguistic incompetence, misunderstanding among monolingual speakers, unequal bilingual proficiency, and occasional communication breakdowns. The study concludes that code-switching and code-mixing are not random linguistic behaviours but systematic sociolinguistic resources that enhance communication in multilingual market environments. It recommends greater recognition of multilingual communication practices in language planning and sociolinguistic research within North-Central Nigeria.