SYNERGY OF DIVERSITY THROUGH CODE SWITCHING IN A MALAYSIAN MOVIE

Code switching, the use of more than one language in discourse, has become habitual in multilingual Malaysia and is constantly used not only in various domains but also in both formal and informal contexts. This widespread use of code switching in real time interactions is also reflected in movies. This paper examines the occurrence of code switching in the well-known Malaysian movie Sepet. The patterns and functions of code switching will be analysed using Myers Scotton’s (1993) Matrix Language Frame Model as a point of reference. Although the viewing time of the movie is 1 hour and 40 minutes, the transcribing of dialogues where code switching occurs took 40 hours. The findings will be discussed.