ENGLISH – TRIGEDASLENG CODE-SWITCHING IN THE CW SERIES “THE 100”

Abstract

The present article deals with the issue of establishing the characters' reasons or motivations for code-switching between English and the constructed language, Trigedasleng, in the American TV series “The 100”. To accomplish  this objective, a sample of six episodes issued from seasons 2 and 3 of the series, have been analyzed using an observational approach. The qualitative analysis has considered the different situations, contexts. and functions where each linguistic code is used. The results revealed that the major causes for such alternation include affective and strategic functions in situational and conversational environments, where English and Trigedasleng are assigned a specific place. It has also been observed, however, that the screenplay allowed the characters, bilingual or not, to use both languages indistinctly to evidence the speakers' linguistic resourcefulness as well as to provoke different reactions in the TV audience as has been determined by the developer and screenwriters of the series.