Linguistic Hybridity and Cultural Palimpsests in Postcolonial Poetry: A Mixed Method Analysis of Code-Switching Practices

Abstract

The research examines linguistic hybridity together with its effects on cultural identity through analysis of postcolonial poetry with special attention to code-switching. The research uses mixed-methods approach to study three essential poems which include Half-Caste by John Agard (1996), The Border Bus by Imtiaz Dharker (2014) and Presents from My Aunt in Pakistan by Moniza Alvi (1991). The research collects quantitative data from readers to determine their reactions to identity and belonging when encountering code-switching.  The qualitative analysis demonstrates how code-switching enables speakers to convey their combined cultural identities while showing the postcolonial tensions that emerge from their experiences. The research investigates how poets use language combinations to depict the intricate processes of identity management between different cultural environments. Postcolonial poets use linguistic hybridity as a fundamental tool to express identity which reveals how hybrid cultural expressions mirror wider socio-political changes. This research enhances the existing discussion about language and cultural fluidity along with identity in postcolonial literature.

Keywords: Linguistic hybridity, Cultural identity, Postcolonial poetry, Code-switching, Mixed-methods analysis, Identity negotiation, Multilingualism