Abstract

In the past, detailed structural description has largely been absent from code-switching research informed by the principles of conversation analysis . In this paper, I will try to argue in favor of situating a sequential analysis of code-switching in bilingual conversation within a structural description of bilingual speech. A structural description contributes to the interpretive analysis in that: the analytic process itself is made transparent in its entirety; and the structural variety of code-switches is revealed, as is the potential for items identical in terms of structure to differ in terms of interactional meaning