Grammatical constraints on verb phrases in Twi/English code switching

Abstract

Studies have shown that items from the languages that participate in code switching (henceforth CS) do not occur at random. Rather they are guided by the grammatical rules of the languages involved. Verbs that participate in Twi/English CS also do not occur at random. They are constrained by the grammatical rules of both Twi and English. Twi is a dialect of Akan, the most widely spoken language in Ghana. Using the Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model of Myers-Scotton (1993a), this work shows that Twi is the matrix language (ML) and English, the embedded language (EL) in Twi/English CS. Based on this, the work discusses the morphological and phonological constraints on English verbs in Twi/English CS. It also shows how English verbs are only allowed in syntactic structures that already exist in Twi. The discussion covers the constraints of Twi tense and aspect on English verbs, and serial verb construction (SVC).Finally, the work looks at English verbs that may not participate in Twi/English CS. All these are discussed to show how the MLF model is applicable to Twi/English CS.