Two codes or one? The insiders' view and the description of codeswitching in Dakar

Abstract In describing the different types of Wolof/French codeswitching used in Dakar, the author questions the assumption found in many codeswitching studies that the use of two languages within a single conversation violates a norm and must therefore be explained. In Dakar, the use of ‘purposive’ codeswitching by bilinguals is relatively uncommon, as is the use of Wolof and French in their respectively pure forms. It is instead a fluid and unmarked switching between Wolof and French, ‘Urban Wolof,’ that has become the most common mode of speech among urban bilinguals. It is suggested that Urban Wolof be considered a third and separate code rather than the alternate use of two languages, and furthermore that the sociolinguistic models currently available in the codeswitching literature are not appropriate for the analysis of this bilingual phenomenon. Two aspects of Urban Wolof, central to an understanding of its sociolinguistic role, but surrounded by paradox and ambivalence, are then presented: 1) its status as a distinct ‘language’ and 2) the attitudes surrunding its use. In both cases, it is shown that a consideration of the insiders' view, that of Urban Wolof speakers themselves, provides a rich picture of the position of Urban Wolof and helps to predict its future role in the urban Senegalese community. The relevance of these findings on Urban Wolof to other urban codes spoken around the world is indicated throughout the paper.