“NO ETO NE YUZABEL’NO” - An Analysis of Code-Switching Among Russian-Speaking Gamers

Abstract

The Internet continues to provide fertile ground for language contact, and via language contact, new varieties arise, often containing elements from several other languages. This thesis examines the language of Russian-speaking gamers using code-switching as a theoretical foundation. By both quantitative and qualitative analysis of chat conversations on the streaming platform Twitch, where streamers play and commentate the video game Age of Empires II, the results of this thesis demonstrate ways in which English words are adopted by Russian-speakers. Code-switching is discussed as an umbrella term, allowing a wide variety of words to be analysed. The thesis discusses code-switches from a grammatical perspective, and shows that code-switching can occur in different parts of speech. Motivations for code- switching are complex, but the results indicate that linguistic precision is not the driving factor in this context. The thesis suggests that more research can be done on the topic of Russian- English code-switching, and this thesis can be seen as a stepping stone on the way to further clarity.