An Investigation on Persian-English Code-switching and the Matrix Language Frame (MLF) Model

The main purpose of the present research is to test Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model with respect to Persian-English code-switching (CS) and code-mixing (CM) to reveal if Persian-English CS is a case of “classic codeswitching” and to fi nd out whether Persian-English CS/CM confi rms the principles of the MLF model or not. The data of this paper was collected from the spontaneous formal and informal interaction of Iranian bilingual students, studying abroad. The three major principles of Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model, namely: (a) the morpheme order principle (b) the system morpheme principle, and (c) the uniform structure principle were precisely investigated in details. Based on the results of analyses, it was found out that Persian-English CS is a supporting evidence for the MLF model.