Code-Mixing in Bilingual Communication: A Case Study of Kokborok Spoken in Tripura

This paper investigates the phenomenon of code-mixing in the bilingual communication of Kokborok speakers, with a focus on lexical categories and functional domains. Using a qualitative case study approach, data was collected from natural conversations across domains such as home, education, media, religion, marketplaces, and political discourse. The findings indicate that nouns are the most frequently inserted category, followed by other lexical categories. The phonological nativisation processes, including voicing shifts and vowel insertion, demonstrate how borrowed terms are adapted into the Kokborok's phonological system. Despite widespread borrowing, Kokborok retains its core syntactic and grammatical structure. This study contributes to the significance of language contact, code-mixing, and the dynamics of indigenous language maintenance in multilingual settings.