Comparative Critical Studies, vol. 22-3 : "Exploring Code-Mixing and Hybridity in Literary Texts"
This special issue of Comparative Critical Studies focuses on the exploration of Code-Mixing and Hybridity in literary texts across diverse global and historical contexts. Building on the foundational work of Bakhtin and Apter, the volume analyzes the intentional blending of languages for aesthetic, comic and political effect, starting with the historical analysis of Macaronic poetry and the Mediterranean Lingua Franca. It transitions into examining contemporary strategies, such as how postcolonial writers use linguistic bivalency and resistant translation to engage multiple audiences (e.g., in the work of Patrick Chamoiseau). Further essays explore the contact between Nigerian indigenous languages and English, as well as the unique linguistic hybridity found in Italo-Brazilian literature (Talian and Portuguese) and in Nedeoglo's strategies. Overall, the issue provides a comparative look at how authors worldwide use complex linguistic blending to challenge monolingual norms and forge new literary possibilities.