There are approximately eighty-seven indigenous languages spoken in Ghana coexisting with English as the official language.  It is, therefore, common practice for bilinguals to seamlessly switch between Ghanaian languages and English. Extensive research has delved into this phenomenon from various perspectives including its role in teaching (Yevudey, 2013), language policy (Agbozo & ResCue, 2021) and multilingual communities (Oppong-Adjei & Yaw-Kan, 2023). Yet there is a gap, as studies focus on the interactions between English and major indigenous languages spoken in southern Ghana such as Twi, Ga and Ewe. Interactions between English and minority indigenous languages spoken in northern Ghana like Mampruli remain understudied.

This thesis investigates Mampruli-English codeswitching among educated Mampruli speakers in Nalerigu in the North East Region of Ghana. Data collection encompass interviews, recordings from selected radio programmes and participant observations. The analytical framework draws upon the Matrix Language Framework (MLF) (Myers-Scotton, 1993) and Ethnography of Communication (Hymes, 1964). Radio recordings were glossed and codeswitched patterns categorised into nouns, noun phrases, verbs, prepositions and clauses. Observation notes and transcribed interviews were classified into discernible themes. The research findings reveal   Mampruli is the matrix language as it supplies the word structure and specific types of morphemes while the embedded language contributes morphemes that deviate from these principles, aligning with the MLF’s proposition.  Notably, the study confirms that a bilingual's tendency to switch from Mampruli to English is significantly influenced by factors such as education level, age, religion, gender, and perceptions of language prestige. This pioneering study fills a significant research gap in Mampruli linguistics and the understanding of codeswitching. It sheds light on language dynamics in northeastern Ghana.

 Keywords

Mampruli, Codeswitching, English, Sociolinguistics, Matrix Language Framework, Ethnography of Communication