Code Switching as a Peculiar Feature of Digital Communication in Multilingual Settings

Abstract

Digital communication, which has now taken a leading place among various types of language communication, reflects many specific features of communication in the context of bi — and multilingualism. The article considers switching of language codes as one of the typical features of digital communication and identifies the role of each language involved in this process. The main purpose of the article is to identify the most typical functions of code-switching in Kazakhstani multilingual settings. Our work is based on the material excerpted from 3 chats in WhatsApp messenger by means of continuous sampling. It shows that Russian language in bilingual communication works frequently as a modal and emotional framework of utterance with the predominance of Kazakh language as a means of communication.